Ultimate Phantom
by Jiece18
Summary: A redone version of The Danny Phantom series.
1. Chapter 1

Greetings, My name is Clockwork, Ghost master of time. The trials and life of Danny Phantom is known far and wide, but a new story is left to be told. The universe is full of time streams each with its own twist and turns. So to you I will provide a view to another world where life for our friend while similar it is quite different than the one you know. So without further wait, I give you Ultimate Phantom.

* * *

Danny stumbled down the large flight of metal stairs that ran from the main house to the basement. He nursed a bruised right cheek as he walked over to a lab chair and sat down. The room was dark save for the light coming from upstairs. Surrounding the young teenager was equipment of all kinds. Ghost hunting equipment designed and built by his parents. He sighed, his parents were laughing stocks of the entire scientific community. Their theories rejected and what ever they invented was instantly tossed aside as ludicrous. He often wondered why their soul backer still provided them enough money to fund their work with enough left over to support their family. He took a deep breath and winced at the pain in his chest. The football team decided that he would make a good replacement for one of their broken tackling dummies. Normally he could hide from them, but his best friend Tucker had been caught trying to sneak into the girls locker room. Danny had managed to hide him and cover for him. While he loved his best friend, he now wished he hadn't helped him out.

"Are you alright my boy?" A voice called out from the darkness around him.

Danny looked up to see a tall thin man with grey hair tied back in a ponytail. "Uncle Vlad! What are you doing down here in the dark." Danny wasn't completely surprised. Vlad was his parents old friend and the one who supported them financially. It was simply the fact there weren't any lights on that spooked him.

The man smiled. "Just checking on a few things. I had turned the lights off to leave, but then I heard you coming down." He looked over the dishevelled and bruised boy. "Was it Dash again?"

"Yeah!"

Vlad pulled up another chair and sat down next to him. "Have you tried telling your father?"

Danny nodded. "But Dash is the star of the football team. Neither his parents nor the school will do anything unless he breaks something."

"I could hire a team of ninjas to beat the living daylights out of the boy."

Danny managed a chuckle. "Thanks, but I need to learn to take care of myself. But keep that idea in mind."

Vlad patted him on the shoulder. "I'll do that!" He stood up and fixed his black suit. "If you need anything, let me know." Vlad walked up the stairs and left Danny alone.

Danny watched him go and felt a little better. "Nice guy! A little weird, but nice!" He stood up and stretched his sore left arm. He searched the metal lined walls and found the light switch. Bright florescent lights flickered on and the huge lab was illuminated. Danny walked over to the large archway at the far end of the lab. It was largely unfinished, pipers were uncovered and large sections of the interior were exposed. It was an invention his parents had been working on for years. They called it The Fenton Portal. It was suppose to link his world with what was called The Ghost Zone. According to Vlad and his dad, it should be operational. Jack Fenton was planning on entering the portal this evening, but Danny's curiosity got the better of him. He went to the lockers near the portal and pulled out a white jumpsuit with black gloved and boots. He quickly changed and looked down at the chest of the suit. A large sticker with his dad's face on it was stuck to it. Danny quickly ripped it off and tossed it into the trash. He loved his dad, but that had been a bit much. He walked over to the portal and quickly looked around. He was alone. "Here it goes!" Danny stepped through the archway and into a small room. It was covered with glowing green circuits. He found a small panel with a red and green button. He gulped slightly as he pressed the green button. At first nothing happened and Danny thought he had wasted his time. Then there was a flash and green and white light exploded around him. Energy ripped through his body and his body felt like it was filled with slime. Danny cried out as he tumbled out of the portal as it overloaded and shut down. Vlad was the first down the stairs as the alarms went off.

"What in the name of Dracula is going on?" He nearly froze at the site. Danny was laying facedown on the floor in front of the smoking portal. His hair was white and his jumpsuit had inverted colors. "My word!" He rushed over and silently cursed to himself. "This was meant for your father. Not you." He heard a pair of heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. "Better hide this for now!" Vlad placed his hand on Danny's back and it sparked with purple energy. A black ring appeared around his waist and split into two. One went up towards his head and the other to his feet. As the ring moved he turned back into his normal form. Jack Fenton tripped on the last three stairs and fell into the lab. The big man in the orange jumpsuit rolled to his feet. "Danny!"

"He must have tripped a security protocol." Vlad stepped aside as Jack picked his son up and hurried upstairs. Vlad looked at the smoking portal with disgust. "Such a perfect plan ruined." He scratched his white goatee and nodded to himself. "But maybe this can be turned from a disaster to an advantage." He chuckled. "Yes! This is perfect."

* * *

Danny woke up with a splitting headache and a damp cloth on his forehead. "What hit me?" He sat up and found his older sister sitting at his desk reading a book. She ran her hand through her long red hair and looked over.

"Your finally awake." She quickly got up and went to his open door. "He finally woke up." She walked to his bedside. "You had us worried little bro." Jazz sat down next to him. "You've been out for almost three days."

"Three Days!" Danny nearly fell out of the bed.

"Yeah! What were you doing in the lab?"

Danny didn't have time to answer as his mom and dad burst into the room. His mom rushed to his side while his dad took position at the foot of the bed. "So did the portal work?" Both girls in the room glared at Jack and he silently gulped and managed a smile. "How you doing son?"

"I think that shock cleared up my sinuses."

His mom checked his forehead. "No fever. Can you move?"

Danny checked under the sheets to make sure he was in his pyjamas before leaping out of bed. He test jumped a few times. "I feel great! Guess I just needed a little sleep."

"That's great Honey. But I want you to try and take it easy for a few days."

"Take it easy! I've been out for three days. I need to get out and move."

Danny's mom sighed. "I guess a little time to stretch your legs shouldn't be too bad. Could you go with him Jazz?"

"Sure!"

"I don't need a babysitter mom. I feel fine."

"Don't argue with your mother!" Jack's shoulders slumped. "You can never win."

Danny sighed in defeat. "All right!"

Jazz simply smiled. "We'll go to the park. Its quiet on a Sunday."


	2. The park and the girl

The park was located in the very center of the city. Almost half the size of the city itself, the park was one of the city's pride and joys. It was simply called The Park since Amity Park Park didn't sound right to the city council. Jazz parked her white Beetle in one of the many parking lots around the area. Danny quickly jumped out and stretched his arms and legs. The air was clean and the sounds of nature were everywhere. Danny started to walk along one of the stone paths, but a yell from his sister stopped him. "Jazz! I really don't need you to keep an eye on me."

"Look little brother! I know that your going through a loner phase where you don't want to talk to anyone. But I am your sister and I care about you. You can talk to me." Jazz pulled her purse out of the car and closed the door. "And I'm buying ice cream."

"Jazz! Ice cream isn't the universal answer to fix problems."

"Then you don't want any?"

"I didn't say that!"

Jazz smiled. "You go for a walk and I'll meet you at the playground in lets say an hour."

"I can live with that." Danny started to walk away and stopped. "Thanks!" He started to jog down the path.

* * *

Vlad sat down in his favourite lounge chair back at his castle in Wisconsin. In his hand was a small brown file folder. He ran his fingers over the papers as he read them. "So I actually solved the Ecto Acne side effect instead of increasing it." He sighed and tossed the file on the floor. The papers flew everywhere. "The best laid plans." Ecto Acne was a side effect to the infusion of ghost energy into a human. Without proper treatment the human could die of it. He thought it the perfect revenge. He stood up and walked over to one of the bookcases that ran along both sides of the large study. He ran his fingers over the books on one of the shelves and stopped at a book called Ghost Studies. He pulled it and the book case slid into the wall. He walked down a small metal stair case and into a large room. Filled from wall to ceiling with computers and equipment. He walked past a large glass case with several ghost fighting weapons to a large metal desk. "Plans can be changed. Computer!"

A holographic image of Maddie Fenton appeared in front of him. She was dressed in her usual blue jumpsuit. "Yes sweetie?"

"Display the DNA scan!" Vlad had taken a blood sample from Danny before leaving.

"Displaying now Honey!" The hologram floated away as an image of a large DNA strain appeared on a floating computer screen. "The infusion of ghost DNA is at about fifty percent, but it is constantly shifting its spectral properties."

"Explain!" He had copied all of the information that The Fentons had gathered and downloaded them into his computers. He hoped an answer could be extracted from the data.

"Unknown!"

Vlad rubbed his chin as he tried to think. "So his powers have yet to set themselves." Vlad nodded and walked over to a large metal ring that was set into a wall. "I must test his powers and determine how best to proceed." The ring glowed and a green vortex appeared in side it. "I'm sure The Ghost Zone will provide me with the perfect test subjects."

* * *

Danny flopped down on a park bench as he caught his breath. He guessed he had ran about a mile before even feeling winded. He looked at his hands and clenched them into fists. "I don't know what happened to me, but I like it." He checked his watch. He still had thirty minutes before he was going to meet Jazz. He laid his head back and felt the sun on it. "Things are finally looking up."

"Hey Fentoad!"

"And now there down again?" Danny jumped to his feet as a group of five teenagers in football jackets walked up. They were led by a guy with blond hair and blue eyes.

"I missed you on Friday, but here you are to make up for it. How generous."

"Yeah! Generous." An Asian kid next to him chimed in. "So what do you want to do Dash!"

"I'm not sure, Kwan." Dash scratched his head. "Let me think!"

"That will be a new one." Danny quickly shut his mouth, but it was too late.

Dash cracked his knuckles and sneered. "Your going to pay for that."

"You have to catch me first." Danny took off across a grassy field with Dash and his gang on his heels.

Dash couldn't believe Danny's new found speed. "When did Fenton get so fast?"

"Practice from all the times we chased him before." Kwan again added his opinion. Dash simply nodded and continued the chase.

Danny turned back as he decided to run through a large wooden gazebo. Dash and his crew were only a few feet away. Before Danny could turn his head forward, he ran into someone and fell down. "Sorry!" Danny gulped as he noticed who he had run into.

"Your going to be sorry, Dipstick!" A girl with dyed blue hair was sitting on the floor in front of him. She was dressed in a black tank top and jeans. A pair of teenage boys and another girl with red hair was standing behind her. A small assortment of rock instruments were around the gazebo. Danny had just knocked down Amber McLain and her band was well within striking distance.

Dash and his group stopped at the entrance to gazebo. "Oh Fenton! This should be good."

Both of the guys helped Amber to her feet as Danny slowly stood up. Amber brushed herself off. "You are in for a world of hurt."

Danny tried to explain, but Amber made a motion with her head. One of the guys stepped forward. He was a year Danny's senior and was a head taller than Danny. He wore all black save for a red tee shirt. Danny started to hold his hands up, but was pushed aside. The guy walked towards Dash. "You morons! We warned you about chasing losers in our direction." The other two members of the band stepped up as well.

Amber smiled and crossed her arms. "Tell Tucker we're even for him fixing our sound system." Danny quickly nodded and took off out the rear entrance. "Zack! Derrick! Rachel! Lets show these jocks that it isn't nice to interrupt our practice."

* * *

Danny was glad when he reached the large playground area. Normally running into Amber's group was just as bad as making the football team made. He was curious about the outcome, but thought better of it. The survivors would probably turn on him. He sat down on a bench and watched as a bunch of little kids played in the sandbox. It reminded him of the simpler times when he was younger. "Danny!" He turned and had to smile as he saw his sister walking up with two ice cream cones. "Just like when I was five."

She handed him a cone with a chocolate scoop. "How was your walk?"

"Great!" Danny took the cone. "I haven't felt this good since. Since never!"

"Guess all you needed was a little sleep."

"Yeah!"

Jazz started to sit down, but a man in a blue mask ran out of some bushes and snatched Jazz's purse as he ran by. "Hey!"

"I got him!" Danny quickly handed his sister his cone and took off after him.

"Danny!" Jazz stood helpless with a cone in each hand. "I don't keep any money in that thing."

* * *

The thief didn't run as well as Dash, but he kept a good pace. He glanced back and saw Danny slowly catching up. He threw his hand out and knocked down a trash can. It rolled into front of Danny. Unnoticed by anyone including him, the lower part of Danny's body turned transparent and he ran through the trash can as if it wasn't there. His body returned to normal as he continued. The thief spotted the exit to the park and thought he was home free, but a large boot appeared from a tree and tripped him. The thief landed face first into the ground. He pushed himself up and was given a hard kick to the head for his efforts. Danny stopped as a girl bent down over the fallen thief and picked up the small purse. "You lose this?"

Danny had to blink a few times before he could move his mouth. The girl had raven black hair and violet eyes. She was dressed in a black tank top and skirt. "Yes!"

The girl looked over his white shirt and blue jeans. "It doesn't match your outfit."

Danny shook his head. "Its not mine. Its my sister's."

"Oh!" She handed him the purse. "Well that was nice of you to try and get it back."

"Thanks!"

The girl smirked as Danny tried to form words. "My name is Sam Manson! And yours!"

"Fenton Danny!" Danny smacked his head. "Danny Fenton!"

"Nice to meet you." Sam held her hand out and hid her disgust as she found his hand a bit on the sticky side.

"Sorry!" Danny wiped his hand on his shirt. "Ice cream!"

"Understandable on a hot day like this." She picked up a large black book from the base of the tree. "See you around."

Danny simply waved as she walked out of the park. He barely noticed Jazz run up behind him. "You caught him."

"Ah yeah!" Danny kept looking at the exit Sam had taken.

Jazz simply dropped the melting cones on the floor and took her purse. "We better find a cop."

"Yeah!" Danny didn't move. Jazz shrugged and pulled him out of the park by his hand.


	3. Back to School

It was morning as Danny Fenton's alarm clock started to go off. Its digital ring caused the young teen to stir and roll over to hit the all important snooze button. His hand hit nothing but air, so he rolled over in his sleep to try the other side. Again nothing but air. He slowly opened his eyes and found he was looking down at the top of his bed. He was suddenly startled by the lack of anything underneath him and realized he was floating four feet above his bed. He yelled out as he dropped and landed hard on his bed. He pushed himself up as a knock sounded from his door.

"Are you alright in there?" It was his mother's voice. "I heard a scream!"

"Nothing!" Danny quickly hit the snooze button on his clock. "Bad dream!"

"Ok! Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes."

Danny heard his mom walk down the stairs and sighed. He looked up at his ceiling and then stood up. "Maybe I was dreaming." He grabbed his robe from his desk chair and walked out of his room.

His dad walked buy him with his nose in a newspaper. "Morning Son!"

"Morning!" Danny walked to the hall bathroom and chuckled slightly as his dad tripped down the stairs. Every morning he would get the paper in a half asleep daze, walk back up the stairs and sleep for another hour. Danny entered the bathroom and was relieved he managed to beat his sister to it. He took a quick shower and stepped up to the sink to brush his teeth. As he wiped away the condensation on the mirror he froze. The reflection wasn't his. A teen with similar features was staring back at him. He looked just like Danny, except for the white hair and glowing green eyes. Danny yelled and fell to the floor. "What the?" He slowly stood up and took another look. The image he had seen was gone and it was just himself looking back at him. "I have to stop eating just before bed." He brushed his teeth and went back to his room to get dressed.

* * *

Vlad grumbled as the images from his probes didn't show him any ghosts he could use. They were either to powerful for the test, or to stupid to follow the orders Vlad had ready. He shut the screen off and had the probes recalled. "Well that was a waste of nine hours." He walked around his lab and scratched his goatee. "There must be a few ghosts out there that I can use to test the boy's powers. But all the weak ones are hiding in this realm. And it could take months to find an appropriate test subject." Vlad anger grew and he quickly picked up a beaker full of green liquid and flung it at his ghost portal. It hit a control panel on its side and it started to spark as the liquid covered it. Vlad looked at the sight of the sparking control panel for several minutes before a sinister grin appeared on his face. "Why find a ghost when I can make one?" Vlad quickly rushed to his computer and began to type in data. "A malfunctioning portal isn't the only way to infuse someone with ghostly DNA. I can kill two experiments with only one test subject."

* * *

Danny yawned on his walk towards school. The things he had experience only an hour ago had been written off as a bad dream. He smiled as he saw a dark skinned teen run up. "Hey Tuck!"

Tucker waved. "Hey! How you feeling? I came by yesterday, but you were out cold."

"I had a little trouble with one of my dad's inventions. But!" Danny stomped his feet and jumped up. "I feel great!"

"Well then your living proof that lots of sleep and less school is a good thing."

"At least until I get all the makeup work from Lancer."

"Good point!"

The two started to walk towards school until a large black limo stopped next to them. The tinted window on the back door slid down and Vlad stuck his head out. "Danny my boy! Feeling alright."

"I fine! Everyone doesn't need to worry."

Vlad smiled. "Of course. Would you and your friend like a ride." The boys didn't waste anytime scrambling into the limo. After a ten minute ride of pushing buttons and keeping heads out of the moon roof, the limo pulled in front of the school and the boys climbed out. After a round of thanks the limo pulled away. Vlad chuckled as he checked the data from the scanners that lined the limo. "His DNA is continuing to mutate. This is very good." He pressed a few buttons underneath his seat and a small control panel rose up from the limo floor. "Now to find the perfect volunteer for my next experiment."

* * *

Danny and Tucker walked through the stone archway and into the school's front grounds. The school use to be a fancy prep school, but was soon converted to a high school. Danny kept a watchful eye out for Dash or any other member of the football team. He also wasn't too keen on running into Amber and her gang.

"You alright man?"

Danny nodded as they reached the entrance doors. "Just a little nervous about getting back into the swing of things."

"Its Dash!"

"Where?" Danny nearly jumped out of his shoes.

Tucker chuckled and crossed his arms. "Chill! Word is that Dash got a black eye over the weekend. Some rumble with Amber's crew. I don't think he'll be in the mood to wail on you."

"Normally I would agree with you, but I am the reason that he got into that fight in the first place."

"Well then you might want to hide." Tucker pointed to the Stone archway. "Because Dash just got here."

Both teens watched as Dash made a beeline for them. Danny and Tucker quickly ran into the school and shot down the hall. They were so concerned about losing Dash that they didn't noticed the large, bald man that appeared from around a corner. Both teens impacted the man and fell to the tiled floor. "Mister Fenton! So glad to see you back at full health."

Danny put on his best innocent face. "Nothing but lots of rest and chicken soup."

Lancer frown didn't fade as he glanced up at the form of Dash waiting at the far end of the hall. "And I suppose you weren't apart of the incident that occurred in the park yesterday."

"The park! Way to much fresh air and sunshine for me." Danny stood up and helped Tucker to his feet.

"I've heard a couple of rumours. But since I have no actual proof, let me give you a small piece of advice instead. I highly suggest you stay away from Amber and her gang. They are a group of trouble makers." He leaned in so close to the two that they could smell the eggs on his breath. "And I would hate to see you two end up where they will be before to long."

Tucker managed a small smile. "On top of the rock music charts."

"No! Detention for life!"

"Oh cut them some slack. They are just kids!"

Lancer sighed deeply and backed away from the two teens. The new computer teacher had just arrived. He wore a white lab coat and had long unruly hair. And for some reason he always wore a pair of sunglasses. "Mister Nicolas!"

"Yes!"

Lancer motioned him away from the boys. "Would you please stop trying to undermine my authority."

Nicolas held his hands up. "Hey I'm just trying to stay on their good side. These kids would eat me alive otherwise." He walked over to the boys and placed a hand on their shoulders. "And these are good kids. And I am curtain neither one of them would ever consider running with a gang. Why Tucker here is the best student I ever had. And Fenton's parents while complete lunatics are still very intelligent scientist, especially his mother."

Lancer rubbed his eyes. "Just stay out of trouble." He walked away.

"Thanks Teach!"

Nicolas smiled. "Not a problem! See you in class!" Nicolas patted them on the shoulders and walked back to his class room.

"At least there is one teacher on our side here." Danny looked back and was relieved that Dash had vanished. "And Dash seems to have gotten tired of waiting."

"See!" Tucker wrapped his arm around his friend's neck. "Things are looking up."


	4. Friends?

-1Danny met Tucker midday in the lunch room. Dash was sitting with members of the football team and several members of the cheerleading squad. Danny hid behind Tucker and managed to sneak past before Dash noticed him. As usual the lunch room was packed and the pair cleared the length of the room looking for a free table. Unfortunately their roles as social outcasts left many open seats unavailable to them. "Danny!"

"Sam?" Danny looked around and spotted the Goth girl waving from the table at the far corner.

"There are plenty of seats here."

Danny and Tucker gulped at the thought of it. There were spots because Amber and her gang had claimed the table as their own. Amber was sitting next to Sam and had a sit if you want to die look on her face. Tucker was the first to head to the table and sit down. He sat next to Rachel. Amber's red haired drummer. Tucker opened his mouth to speak, but a glare from Rachel caused him to shut his mouth tight. Danny slowly walked over. Sam moved over so he could sit in between her and Amber. Danny could think of worst ways to die. Being killed for sitting in between to beautiful girls. He set his tray down and sat down himself.

Sam smiled. "Stop anymore purse snatchers?"

"Not since yesterday." Danny poked his fork into what was being pasted off as meatloaf. "So you two know each other?"

"Me and Amber met over the internet. She is part of the reason I convinced my parents to move out here." Sam held up some of her salad. "This is all wilted. I'm going to have a talk with that cook of ours." Sam stood up.

"I'll go with you!" The last thing Danny wanted was to be left alone at that table. Tucker had retreated into a quiet statue mode as Derrick moved up to pin Tucker in between him and Rachel.

"No need!" Sam walked away.

"The little altercation with the football team was a blast yesterday." Zack, Amber's base player leaned over the table. He sported a few burses and a black eye. "I don't normally mind having it out with mister high and might touchdown pass, but." He grabbed Danny's shirt with a black gloved hand. "I don't like it when it is because some loser leads them to us."

"Enough!" Amber tapped on Zack's hand and he released it. Amber blue lips formed a sinister smile. "Sam and I have been e-mail friends for two years now. So I won't risk losing that simply because of you." Amber got into Danny's face. "I will over look what has happened, but if you think this makes us friends or think that we will defend you from Dash, think again! Annoy me again and I will rip your guts out and use it to string my guitar. Got it?"

"Got it!" Danny quickly slid away as Sam returned.

"Sorry about that." She sat down next to Amber. "So you two know each other?"

* * *

Vlad stood outside of the school with a small device in his hands. As he was doing his search, he had detected a trace of ghostly energy that didn't belong to Danny. He turned transparent and walked through the wall. He traveled to the near center and walked into a large storage room. Cardboard boxes of different sizes were stacked from the floor to the ceiling. Dust and cobwebs were all over everything. Vlad looked around and found a small man sitting on top of a box. He had blue skin and wore darker blue overalls. He was muttering to himself as he held a small box in his hands. Vlad checked his readings with the device he had brought with him. _'A pathetic lonely soul.'_ He smiled. _'I can use this.'_

* * *

Danny was quick to finish his lunch and put the tray in the bins. As he made his way to the exit. "FENTON!" Dash's voice was unmistakable. Danny quickly left the room. Dash backed by two other football players, followed.

Sam watched the trio take off after Danny. "We have to help him."

"Why?" Amber sipped her milk. "It is none of our concern."

"But it isn't a fair fight. Come on Tucker!" Sam got up and Tucker followed her out of the lunch room.

Rachel laughed, "Your friend is going to get herself in a heap of trouble. Remember what happened to the last girl that crossed Dash."

Derrick chuckled. "Yeah! She got locked in the locker room with nothing but her towel. The janitor had to pry the door lock off to let her out."

Amber sighed. "I don't want another fight with the football team. We are already on Lancer's hit list. But I don't want Sam's first day to end like that."

Without making a sound, an invisible Vlad snuck out of the ground and entered the body of Zack. His eyes flashed red for a second. "I'll go!" He stood up.

"We'll all go!"

"No!" Zack waved his hand at Amber. "I'll lead the idiot to a safe place he can hide until lunch is over. And make sure Sam doesn't have an unpleasant encounter with Dash." Zack ran out.

* * *

Danny walked at an accelerated pace as he heard the footsteps of the three teens behind him. He had hoped to run into a teacher, but most of them were locked up in the teacher's lounge. He made a sharp turn and gulped. "Dead end!" On three sides were nothing but lockers.

"Time to teach you lesson, Fenturd!" Dash cracked his knuckles as his two buddies moved to block any possible exit.

"Any chance I can just bribe you?"

"We are way past money! Your band geek friends aren't here to save you this time."

"Excuse me!" Dash turned around and came face to face with Sam.

"What?"

"Is there a good reason that it takes three of you to pick on one kid."

"What are you going to do about it?" Dash glanced to the shivering Tucker who was trying to hide behind the girl. "You the new member of the geek patrol?"

"Maybe! Now why don't you and your Neanderthals get going."

The three boys laughed for a minute before Dash held up his hand to shut them up. "Your funny! Now I am going to show you what I do to funny geeks."

"Dash!" The voice was familiar but had an older tone to it. Zack was standing behind Danny. "Leave the boy and his friends alone!"

Dash looked around. His two friends were on the floor out cold. "How did you do that?"

Zack smiled and his eyes gleamed red. "Just a simple trick." He charged forward at high speed and landed a punch to Dash's gut. The football player coughed and fell to the floor. "Pathetic."

"Thanks!"

Zack turned to Danny. "Don't thank me yet. The rest are on their way. You best find a place to hide for now." Zack walked over to one row of lockers. "Here!"

"Your going to stuff me in a locker?"

"No!" Zack grabbed the side of one locker and pulled. Four lockers pulled away and reviled an old metal door. "It is an old storage room. You'll be safe in here. I'll come back when the coast is clear."

Danny hesitated, but then he heard the voices of the rest of the team. "Right." He grabbed the rusted door handle and pulled the door open. He stepped in.

"Wait up man!" Tucker followed him. Sam shrugged and also stepped through the doorway.

Zack smiled as he closed the door and replaced the lockers. "This should be a very entertaining show." Vlad left Zack's body and phased through the wall. Zack shook his head and looked around. "What happened?"


	5. My name is?

-1Danny felt around the wall near the door. He found a grimy light switch and flipped it on. The overhead lighting made a few electrical sounds. After a few seconds, half of them sparked and gave off dimmed light. It wasn't very good light, but it beat the heck out of fumbling around in total darkness. The storeroom was musty and a bit on the dank side. Cobwebs dominated the vast majority of the ceiling. The stacks of boxes gave the reasonably large room a mazelike feeling. The trio carefully maneuvered around the large stacks as they attempted to figure out exactly where they were hiding. Their footsteps kicked up large clouds of dust from the floor and forced them to cover their mouths to avoid breathing the dust in.

"Sorry about this Sam." Danny heard a loud crunch from under his shoe. He looked down and found out he had crushed a large, thumb sized cockroach. "Not a very good end to your first day."

Sam shrugged and watched several spiders crawl across a few boxes. "It isn't too bad. Lose the dust, add a few chairs, maybe even a bookshelf, and this place could be kind of cozy."

"Your kidding?" tucker tapped his PDA a few times. "I can't get any wireless in this room."

As Danny and the rest of the partymade their way to the center of the cardboard maze, Danny felt a slight chill and his breath blew out a blue mist. Danny looked around for a vent or something else to explain the sudden chill. "You guys feel that?" Both of them shook their heads no."

"Feel what?"

Danny rubbed his arms. "I felt cold for a second."

"Probably just the feeling of this room." Tucker shivered. "It makes me feel cold inside." He took one last look at his beloved PDA before putting the device back into his backpack. "So how long are we going to stay here anyway?"

"As soon as Zack gives us the all clear. Assuming he didn't lock me in here as payback for yesterday."

"I'm sure Amber won't let Sam be locked in here for long."

At the mention of the girl's name, Danny looked around. "Where did she go?" Sam had vanished.

Tucker shrugged. "She was here a second ago. How far could she have gone?"

* * *

Sam had left the boys to their conversation. After Danny had said he felt cold, she had heard another voice in the room. Even in boots, she managed to step quietly until she reached the center of the maze. A few boxes were stacked in a small clearing on the floor. A short man was sitting on the largest box. He was mumbling softly to a small box in his hands. "I don't believe it." Sam rubbed her violet eyes. "A Ghost!" She took very small steps as she inched closer.

"HEY SAM!" Tucker's voice echoed around the room.

Sam cursed under her breath as the ghost turned and looked at her. Sam managed a small smile and the only thing she could think of saying at that point was. "Hi."

The ghost's face turned from a mixture of sadness and loneliness, to full out anger. He floated into the air and the lights around him sparked to full life. "How dare you enter my sanctum?" The boxes that had made up the center of the room floated up and flew around the ghost. "You have ruined the perfection that is my lair."

Sam held her hands up in a sign of peace. "Sorry! I didn't know this place was occupied. I can help you fix it and never comeback."

The ghost seemed to like the idea as the boxes that were flying around him slowly fell back to the dusty floor.

"Sam!" Danny and Tucker ran up. They weren't paying attention to exactly where they were going and knocked down a small tower of boxes. The boxes fell to the floor. They burst open on impact, spilling their contents of old books and bugs onto the floor.

Sam sighed and rubbed her eyes. "This won't end well."

The ghost cried out as if he had been pained by the damaging of the boxes. "That is it!" The three teens backed away as more boxes joined the others in the air. "Prepare to face the wrath of..of….of!" The ghost took his blue winter hat off and scratched his head. "It has been so long. I have forgotten my name." The boxes stopped and hovered as the ghost tried to remember his name.

At Danny's signal, the teens slowly headed for the exit as the ghost struggled with his memory. "Lets go!"

The ghost spotted the trio trying to escape. He held his hand out and several boxes moved to form a wall to block their retreat. "You cannot escape." He pulled his hat back on. "Prepaid to face the wrath!" He gave it one last thought. "Of The Box Ghost!"

Tucker chuckled. "The Box Ghost? Could you have come up with a lamer name? Maybe Square Lord?" A large box full of heavy books slammed down and crushed several roaches in front of Tucker with enough force to cause the room to shake. "But it so suits you."

Vlad hovered, invisible in the fare corner of the room. He held his scanner in his hand as he watched the event unfold. "Excellent! This should prove very entertaining."


	6. Transform

-1The Box Ghost laughed as several large boxes flew over the teen's head. "Prepare to be crushed." The boxes shot downward.

Both Sam and Tucker ducked their heads down as the boxes fell. Danny grabbed their arms with reflexes that amazed him and pulled them away. He had forgotten that there was a large wall of boxes behind them. His body shimmered with blue light and all three of them turned transparent. He pulled Sam and Tucker through the wall as the boxes smashed the floor they had been standing on.

Vlad smiles from his hidden perch. "His reflexes our activating his powers better than I predicted."

The Box Ghost looked at the wall puzzled for a moment. "How did he do that?"

Tucker stood up and brushed the dust from his clothes. He had expected to be a geek pancake, but he was fine. The wall of boxes was in front of him and the exit door was behind him. "Hey guys." He glanced to his right and found Danny on the floor with Sam on top of him. The pair had landed that way and froze as they looked into each other eyes. "GUYS! Crazy box controlling ghost just feet away." The two blushed and quickly got to their feet. Tucker went to the door. "Can we put the hormones on hold until we are out of life threatening danger?" Tucker tried to push the door open. It held fast. "The lockers are still blocking the door."

Danny and Sam tried to help push the door. Sam backed away. "We can't get enough leverage on the lockers. The door was blocked by the center of the group. Zack pulled at it from the side."

"So were trapped." Danny gulped as Sam nodded her head.

The box wall behind them shook and pulled apart. Tucker fell to his knees. "We're all going to die." He started to cry. "And before I got to touch next year's computer models."

Danny took a shaky step forward as The Box Ghost floated toward him. "You not harming my friends."

"And what do you plan to do? Your are simply a puny mortal human."

Vlad scanner beeped almost loud enough for the others to hear. Vlad quickly turned the sound off. "Power levels are rising quickly." He maneuvered for a closer look. "It is going to happen."

Danny's eyes gleamed with green light as a pale white aura surrounded him. A ring of white energy from around his waist. "I am tired of being kicked around! I am tired of being picked on! And I am extremely tired of being helpless!" The ring flashed and split into two. The rings moved up and down his body. His clothes changed into a black bodysuit with white gloves and boots. His hair changed to snow white and his eyes glowed with green light. Danny blinked a few times and looked over his new form. "What happened?"

Box Ghost said nothing for several seconds before starting to laugh again. "So now what are you going to do? I am The Box Ghost! You cannot defeat me simply by changing you hair color." He raised his arms and a large box floated over him. "Now I will crush you!"

Danny felt a rush of energy through out his body. He lunged forward at the ghost. "Not today!" He swung his fist and connected with Box Ghost's jaw. The ghost fell back and the box dropped to the ground.

"You hit me?" The Box Ghost floated into the air. "How can a puny human touch a ghost?" He flew upward so his head was touching the ceiling. "No matter. Lets see you get me from up here." He waved his arms and several small boxes floated up and surrounded him. He snapped his fingers and the boxes shot toward Danny and his friends.

"Take cover!" Sam and Tucker dove behind a small stack of boxes. Danny froze as the boxes came at him. He covered his eyes. His body shimmered and turned transparent. The flying boxes shot through him and crashed onto the floor behind him. Danny noticed the lack of pain and opened his eyes. His body returned to being solid. "Did he miss?"

Vlad smile grew. _"It is all instinct and reflexes, but his powers have already surpassed mine when I first got mine."_ He glanced at The Box Ghost. _"But I fear that even this low level could prove trouble since Daniel hasn't a clue how to use his powers. I suppose that a little help wouldn't disrupt my findings to much."_ Vlad flew carefully and got behind Danny. He doubted that Danny could fly, but he had another idea. He touched Danny's hand with his finger and sent a small surge of power into it. To anyone looking, it looked like a small flash of purple light. Vlad nodded to himself and backed off.

Danny's hand glowed with green light. "Huh?" Danny held up his glowing hand. "What is this?"

"Puny mortal!" The Box Ghost shined with blue light and every box in the room left the floor. "Lets see you avoid this."

"Do something!" Tucker tried to flatten himself against the wall as best as he could.

"Anything!" Sam was trying to open the door.

Danny gulped. "Here goes something. I hope." Danny held his palm out at the ghost and a green beam fired from his hand. It hit the ghost in the chest and he fell down. The boxes in the air also fell to the floor and the entire room shook as they impacted. Danny rushed forward as The Box Ghost pushed himself up. "Take this!" Danny rammed his fist straight into the ghost's face. The impact sent the ghost into the far wall.

"This isn't over!" The Box Ghost phased through the wall.

Danny sighed with relief and dropped to a sitting position. "Glad that is over."

With the threat if being crushed over, both Sam and Tucker had time take in Danny's transformation. "Dude!" Tucker walked over and pulled out one of Danny's hairs. "How did you dye this so quickly?" The hair turned back to black shortly after being pulled. Tucker dropped it like it was diseased. "And how did you do that?"

Sam knelt down and looked into Danny's green eyes. "I'm not sure what to make of this, but I do like the new look."

"Really?" Danny face brightened.

"Really." Sam held out her hand and pulled Danny to his feet. "But right now are main concern should be getting out of here."

"Yeah!" Danny flexed his arms. "I feel stronger like this so I'll see if I can make those stupid lockers move." Danny walked over to the door and pushed on it. He flashed with white light and turned back to hid normal form. Danny looked down at himself and shrugged. "So much for that idea."

"Now what?" Tucker groaned. "Well never get out of here." He pounded his head on the door. "Why wont this stupid thing open?" The doorknob turned and the door swung open. A large man stood in the doorway.

"I see three students who are in a heap of trouble." All three teens sighed. It was Mr. Lancer.

Vlad watched the teacher lead Danny and the others out. "I am pleased by what has happened here today. Yes! My failed attempt on Jack's pathetic life has proved me with something far more valuable. An apprentice." Vlad laughed as he phased out of the room.


	7. It Begins

Danny, Sam, and Tucker sat next to the door to Lancer's office as their parents argued with each other. They had agreed to keep Danny's transformation to themselves. Words about smoking and drugs filtered through the thin door. Each set of parents had no trouble shifting the blame from their own kid to the other two. Lancer's attempt to calm them down went largely unheeded. The three teens simply sat and waited for the enviable. Danny's face brightened when Vlad Masters appeared in the hallway.

"Uncle Vlad! What are you doing here?"

"I heard what had happened and I came to help if I can."

Danny shifted a thumb to the door and the shouting on the inside. "Do you mind hiding me for the next thirty years? I have a feeling this isn't going to be pretty."

Vlad smiled and walked into the office. In less than a minute, the office went silent. The teens looked at each other with puzzled looks. The door opened and The parents piled out. Sam's parents were dressed in expensive clothes with jewelry to match. Tuckers had a more casual attire and Danny's had just worn their jumpsuits. Vlad and Lancer were the last to exit the office. Lancer pointed at the three.

"I'm letting you off with a warning. Don't let me catch you skipping class again." He went back to his office.

"Lets go Samantha." Miss Manson grabbed her daughter's hand and walked her towards the exit with the father close behind. Tucker's parents simply waved to him and the three left. Danny cringed for what was coming his way.

Maddie was the first to speak. "We are very proud of you Danny."

"WHAT??"

Jack smiled and patted his son on the back hard. "Of course. Going after a ghost at such a young age. Sure you teacher didn't believe your story. He can't see the big picture. So was it a big ghost?"

"Human sized!"

"Great! Lets go Maddie!" The two charged down the hall.

Vlad sighed. "Your parents have certainly have a one way thinking mentality."

"Sure do. How did you get us off the hook?"

"I just explained that there was no evidence that you and your friends were doing anything illegal. And your parents reputation does proceeds them." Vlad sat down next to Danny. "I might have scared off your friends thou."

"Don't worry. There was a ghost. A crazy box controlling ghost."

Vlad laughed. "Then your mother was right. She is always right."

"What about dad?"

Vlad coughed a bit. "How about a trip to the pizza parlor and then video arcade?"

"All right!"

* * *

Vlad sat down in front of his main computer later that night. He had much work to do if everything would work out as he had planned. Three screens were in front of him. The one on his right showed Danny's readings when he was in his ghost form. The one on his left showed the readings of the ghost he had fought. The center showed ghosts that he had found in The Ghost Zone.

"A few more attacks should help push Danny towards me. But I need to make sure that the ghosts can't push too much." He went through his files and found nothing that would serve his purpose. After an hour he sighed and shut the computer off. "Why is it so hard to find a ghost that is on the same level as a ghost I created.?" A light bulb went off in Vlad's head. "Why find a ghost when I can make one?" Vlad switch the computer back on. He brought up a list of possible people to turn into ghosts. In order to insure the desired transformation, he must make sure the situation was perfect. He narrowed the list to five and made a print out copy. Research was needed before a move could be made. Vlad stood up and grabbed the print out. He rubbed his chin, "Until I am ready, I guess I will have to live with what ever comes out of Jack's sabotaged portal." He would send a few of his robotic probes to keep an eye on the boy, just incase.

* * *

Danny laid in his bed staring up at the ceiling. His sister was downstairs studying and his parents were still combing his school for the ghost. So many things were happening at once. The ghost, his weird transformation, and puberty. He felt so alone. A rapping at his window broke him out of his trance. He walked over and found Sam standing under his second story window. He opened the window.

"Hey! You grounded?"

Danny shook his head. "My parents almost gave me a metal."

"Lucky. I had to sneak out."

"Sorry about that. Can't help but to feel it was my fault."

"Forget it. Can I come up?"

"Sure! Let me get the door."

"No need!" Sam climbed up the lamp post that was on the corner near his house. Danny stepped back as Sam stood on top of it and jumped into his room. Danny's jaw dropped as the girl stood up and straightened her clothes. She smiled and pushed Danny's jaw close.

"The door?"

"Boring." Sam sat down on Danny's bed and looked around the room. The room was typical of a fourteen year old. Posters of various musicians and wrestlers filled the walls. Small piles of clothes doted the blue carpet and his disk had been used a catch all. "Nice room. A little on the bright side, but nice."

'_There is a girl in my room that isn't related to me. Damn life is good.'_ Danny moved to sit next to her, but thought better of it and went to his little use desk chair. "So what brings you here?"

"After everything that happened, I think you needed somebody to talk to." She leaned back. "So you want to start with that transformation of yours."

* * *

The sunlight shined through the open window woke Danny from his slumber. He looked up from his desk and angrily closed the curtains that had failed to close itself last night. He reached out and after three attempts, he grabbed the small clock on his desk and brought it close enough for his sleep filled eyes to see. The glowing red lights showed seven forty five.

"Damn! Over slept." Danny gulped as the voice wasn't his. He looked over and spotted Sam sitting on his bed, stretching.

"You…" Danny gulped. "..were here all night."

"Yeah! You fell asleep around one and it was awful dark for a girl to travel alone." Sam giggled at the sight of Danny's face. "You have some desk face going on."

Danny rubbed his face and two pencils and some paper clips fell to the floor. "Thanks!"

A knock came from his door. "Danny!" It was his mom. "It is getting late."

Danny thanked whatever divine being was in existence that it had been his mom and not his dad. He would have busted in without knocking. "Sorry! I'm not dressed yet."

"Well hurry up young man. School starts in an hour." He footsteps echoed as she walked down the hall.

Danny held his breath until the footsteps dissipated. "That was close."

"Your telling me!" Sam stood up and slipped her boots on. "I'll see you at school." She pushed the curtains aside. She swung herself out the window and hung down for a moment before dropping to the sidewalk. She waved and ran down the street.

"See ya!" Danny waved as she disappeared behind a corner. "I think my life has finally turned around."

* * *

Above the Fenton home, The Box Ghost floated next to Vlad. "So do you understand you mission?" Vlad handed the ghost a small square device with a red button.

The Box Ghost nodded as he took the device. "Do not worry. I The Box Ghost will not fail. That boy will suffer for driving me from my home."

"Yes, yes!" Vlad was only half listing as he spied the girl that had exited the house. Another plan was forming in his mind. "Just do as I have said and you will have your well earned revenge." The Box Ghost flew off to the ambush point Vlad had picked out. "It begins!"


	8. Ghost Zone

Completely unaware of Vlad watching him from high above, Danny left his house and met with his best friend Tucker at the curb. The two exchanged greetings and began the walk to school. As they neared the building, a blue mist came from Danny's mouth.

"What was that?"

Danny took a few test breaths and nothing came out. "Must be seeing things."

"Fear me mortals!" The Box Ghost appeared in front of them. "I have come to unleash my unholy revenge on you."

Danny looked around. "I don't see any boxes."

Tucker laughed. "So what are you going to do now?"

The Box Ghost looked lost for several moments before the figurative light bulb came on. He reached into his overalls and pulled out the small device he had gotten from Vlad. "Beware my remote of doom!" Both teens began to slowly back up. "Now you fear me!"

"No! Your beginning to weird us out."

The Box Ghost smiled evilly and pressed the button. A full uncomfortable minute passed. The boys weren't sure what to do and The Box Ghost looked embarrassed.

"Are you done? We're running late for school."

"I don't understand." As The Box Ghost examined the remote, it exploded in a flash of green light. The light knocked all three of them out and caused them to vanish.

Vlad chuckled from above. "This should provide me with much more data." He heard the School bell go off. "Now for my next plan."

* * *

Danny and Tucker awoke and found themselves in a strange jungle. The leaves of the trees were red and the sky was purple with the occasional streaks of green. Danny was the first to his feet.

"Where are we?"

"I think I had a nightmare of this place." Tucker looked at his clothes. "Never mind. I'm still wearing paints."

"I won't ask."

"Prepare for your doom." The Box Ghost floated in front of them. "This is The Jungle of Doom. Your doom is a hand."

Both Danny and Tucker slowly backed away as the ghost went into a doom frenzy. As the ghost seemed to really get into it, a large white net shot out of the thick jungle and entrapped The Box Ghost. He cried out as a cable attached to the net dragged him into the jungle.

Tucker clung to Danny. "What was that about?"

"I don't know. But I think we should get out of here."

"Don't have to tell me twice."

"Could you let go so we can run?"

Before Tucker could let go, a section of trees parted and a large green glowing elephant stomped up to them. The elephant's eyes glowed red and it had three large trunks hanging from its face. On top of the creature's back was a large basket with a canopy. The boys started to move away, but a roar from the elephant froze them in their places. A large human shaped figure rose out of the basket.

"What do we have here?"

The figure jumped down from the basket and landed in front of them. He looked like a robot in the form of a seven foot, muscular human. His head looked like a skull with a green Mohawk. He was dressed in all black hunting attire with several weapons strapped to him. The teens found words unavailable to them at that moment. The metal on the skull-like face actually shifted so it looked like the robot was smiling. He pointed his gloved fist toward them for a moment. A set of sensors in his hand scanned the two and relayed the information to his head.

"Humans! Adolescent humans at that." The robot dropped his fist. "Well this is a rare treat."

Danny gulped down a portion of his fear. "Who are you? What is this place?"

"I am Skulker!" The robot seemed to push his metal chest out in pride as he spoke. "Ghost Zone's greatest hunter." He motioned to the jungle. "This is my hunting grounds."

"What do you hunt?"

The narrowing of his green eyes and the reaching for a silver rifle from his back answered Danny's question.

"Isn't there a law against this kind of thing." Tucker finally found his voice.

Skulker pointed the rifle at them. "I am a fair hunter. Shooting you right now wouldn't be very sporting. I'll give you a sixty second head start before I chase you."

"But…" Danny covered Tucker's mouth with his hand.

"I think we should run."

The teens took off into the jungle. Skulker laughed and opened fire. His rifle shot out green bolts of energy that singed anything they hit.

"Tucker turned and shouted over the blasts. "You said we had a head start."

"Before I would chase you. I didn't say a word about shooting you now did I?" Skulker checked his watch. "You got forty seconds left."

* * *

Several minutes passed as the two boys ran through the jungle. They were covered in sweat from the effort. Tucker collapsed to the ground as they passes a small stream.

"Tucker!" Danny tried to pick his friend up. "We have to keep moving."

"Can't!" Tucker sucked in several deep breaths of air. "Shouldn't have skipped all those gym classes."

Danny went to the stream and got out a handful of water. He put the water to Tucker's mouth.

"Is that clean?"

"Just drink it!"

Tucker gulped down the water. "I bet we lost him." A small rocket shot from the trees and exploded on the ground nearby. "Guess not!" Danny threw Tucker's arm over his shoulder and helped his friend to walk.

Several feet away, Skulker watched them move through the targeting scope of his micro launcher. "Calibration is a tad off." He twisted a small knob on the side of the scope. "That should do it." He fired another rocket. It exploded on the ground just behind the fleeing humans. The force of the blast launched them into the air and they landed face first into a large mud hole. Skulker laughed at the sight. "It should be a crime to have this much fun." He hopped down from the tree he had been sitting in. Attaching the launcher to his backpack, he drew out a small blaster pistol. Skulker chuckled as he moved towards the teens.

Danny heard Skulker and managed to push himself up onto his knees. He pushed on Tucker's shoulder. The poor boy was out cold. Despite his weariness, Danny got to his feet.

"A final stand?" Skulker stopped walking. "Don't you want to run some more?"

"Is there a point?"

"No! But I do enjoy the chase more than the prize." Skulker raised the pistol. "But I will take my trophies."

"Skulker!" A loud voice filled the jungle. "You are under arrest for violation for hunting on protected grounds.

Skulker looked up into the sky as several green ghosts in blue SWAT uniforms flew into view. "Walker! A true killjoy." He holstered his pistol. "Another time." He ran into the jungle. The green ghosts gave chase.

A tall white ghost in a matching white suit floated down and landed on the ground. He adjusted his black tie as he looked at Danny. "What are a pair of humans doing in this area?"

"Some ghost called, The Box Ghost brought us here."

Walker's eyes narrowed. "I know that ghost. He has neither the brains nor the skill to bring two humans out this far. Why are you really here?"

"I told you! You think we would want to be hunted by that psycho hunter."

"How am I suppose to know what you human's like? You could have been helping him break my laws."

"We weren't!"

Walker jabbed him in the chest with his finger. "You have twenty four hours to leave The Ghost Zone. If you don't, you can enjoy twenty four years in my prison."

"How do we leave?"

"Not my problem. You got yourselves here, you can get yourselves out." He floated into the air. "Twenty four hours, punk!" He flew out of sight.

Danny sat down on the ground. "Should have stayed in bed."


	9. Destiny

Danny and Tucker walked for what seemed like hours before the trees began to thin.

"We're finally out." Tucker began to run.

"Tucker Wait!" He saw his friend scream and suddenly vanish. Danny ran to the spot where Tucker vanished and nearly fell. The jungle ended at a steep drop into an endless void. The jungle was on a large rocky island floating in this void.

"Danny!" The call from Tucker broke Danny's glare at the void. The teen looked down to see Tucker clutching the side of the island. "Little help would be nice." Danny reached down and pulled his friend up. Tucker laid out on the flat ground. "That was close."

"Too close!" Danny looked out into the void and for the second time asked, "Where are we?"

"The Ghost Zone!" A flash of lightning struck the ground and a man appeared. He wore white robes, a large symbol shaped hat, and carried a long metal pole. Tucker recognized him amenity and jumped to his feet.

"Raiden, from Mortal Kombat! Have we been sucked into a video game." The boy's eyes lit up at the thought.

"No! This is just a form UI have chosen. There are many here in this zone who don't want me to help you."

"Who?"

"All will be reviled in time. Right now, we must discuss Danny's destiny."

"My destiny?" Danny walked up to Raiden. "What destiny could I have?"

"Do you remember your accident with the ghost portal?"

"How could I forget?"

"that was a destined event. That accident has given you the powers you will need to save this world and your own."

"But what is this world? How am I going to save it? I can't even save myself from the football team."

Raiden smiled. "My apologies. I have a tendency to jump ahead of myself. I'll try to better explain the situation." He waved his hand to the void. "the Ghost Zone is a dimensional plane that serves as a barrier to many other worlds." He drew a small circle on the ground with his pole. "Your dimension is just one of many others." He drew several more small circles and then one large one that encased them all. "The Ghost Zone takes up the space in-between these other dimensions."

"It keeps them apart?"

"Exactly!"

Tucker looked around. "And is populated by Ghosts."

"Yes! You will find quiet a verity of ghosts here."

"Great!" Tucker sat down and clutched his legs.

Danny was on less nervous, but he wanted answers. "What does this all mean?"

"It has been prophesized that a great disaster will happen and destroy The Ghost Zone. Without it, the other dimensions will collide with each other and be destroyed."

"And somehow, I am going to stop this."

"It has been foreseen."

"How?"

"You will find out in time. The disaster I speak of will not happen for some time. And there will be plenty of warning signs."

"You have a time table?"

"I am afraid not. What causes this disaster is still unknown. So I have come to you now to prepare you. You will need training so you can master your powers."

"How long will that take?"

"Three years, maybe four. You will need to remain here during your training."

"Four Years! What about that ghost and the prison?"

"I will take care of him."

"What about my life at home?"

"You will have to abandon it. This is far more important."

"To you maybe. I just met a girl."

"There will be others."

"No way. You've got the wrong guy."

Raiden frowned. "You must see the big picture. More is at stake than your social life."

Danny helped Tucker to his feet. "I'm sorry, but I won't abandon my life. Just on your say so."

"It is your choice." He waved his hand and a green vortex appeared. "This will take you home. But be warned. Your actions here today, may have an averse effect on the future."

Danny seemed to pause for a moment and then jumped into the vortex with Tucker in tow. Raiden smiled as the vortex closed. Events were unfolding as he had foreseen it.

________________________________________________________________________

Vlad Master sat down in his favourite chair as he watched the video his ghost probe. The small silver sphere had watched as Danny and his friend avoided Skulker and the threat from Walker. During the entire hunt, Danny hadn't transformed once. Vlad had hoped that the increased threat level would be the trigger. The screen suddenly went blank as the two boys walked out of the jungle. Something had destroyed the probe. Vlad set the small laptop down on the side table. The probes had been mostly ignored during his years of using them. Someone else had their eyes on the young boy.

"Something is going on in the zone." Vlad stood up. "The next phase of my plan will have to be moved up." He turned transparent and floated down, through the floor. He landed on the metal floor of his underground lab and solidified. He went over to a large monitor that took up one entire side of the room. "Display targets." A group of pictures appeared on the screen. "Now to pick my next Ginny Pig." His eyes moved along the pictures. He smiled. "Perfect!"

________________________________________________________________________


	10. Return Home

Danny was jarred from his sleep by a relentless poking to his ribs. He opened his eyes and instantly regretted it. He felt like the sun had burned his eyes out. Danny pushed himself to a sitting position. A girl no more than six was standing next to him with a stick in her hands. She gave him a weird look and smiled.

"I told you he wasn't dead."

Danny could hear a small group of children voices moaning from some bushes. He glanced over and saw Tucker laying about a foot away from him. He was curled into a ball and sucking his thumb. Danny managed a small smile as he reached over and gently shook his shoulder.

"Time to wake up, Tucker." Tucker grumbled and rolled over. Danny sighed and shook his head. He turned to the girl. "You wouldn't happen to know where we are?"

"The park!"

Danny checked his watch, it was past five. "Oh boy!" He grabbed Tucker's shoulder and shook him violently. "Wake up! We've missed school."

"WHAT!" Tucker leapt to his feet. "My perfect attendance."

"Forget your attendance. What are we going to tell our parents?"

"Please don't kill us."

"This isn't the time for jokes."

A light chuckling caused the two teens to glance down. The little girl was trying to keep herself from laughing out loud. "You two are funny." Both boys took off for the exit.

* * *

Vlad strolled through a long corridor deep under his Wisconsin home. Thanks to his hidden ghost portal in Amity Park, he could travel between the two locations almost instantaneous. The corridor was fifteen feet wide and curved upward to form a ceiling twenty feet high. A long red carpet adorned the floor and the walls were covered in paintings of him. He loved the hall. He traveled the fifty feet from the portal to a large set of double doors. The portal that connected to the hall was separate from the one in his lab. Paranoia is bliss. He took a deep breath.

"Showtime!"

A ring of black energy formed at his waist and slit in two. One slid upward and the other down. As the rings passed around him, his clothes changed from a black business suit to a white regal suit, complete with cape. His skin turned dark blue and his hair black. His eyes glowed with red light as the rings vanished. He rolled his shoulders and pushed open the heavy metal doors. The doors opened up to a very large room. The carpet continued on and ended at the foot of a raised dais with a golden throne. On either side of the carpet were two ghosts. The four ghosts turned as the changed Vlad walked towards the throne. His throne room was decorated in the same decor as the hall. He stepped up onto the dais and sat on his throne. He let a moment of silence pass before placing his fingers into the power pyramid position. Yes he was very intimidating in his mind.

"I trust you all know why I have summoned you here today."

The ghost looked to each other and all shrugged.

Vlad smiled. "I have invited you here to join me as members of my cabinet."

One of the ghosts stepped onto the red carpet and looked up at Vlad. He stood seven feet tall and skin was silver metal. His face was the shape of a human skull with a green Mohawk.

"And what pray tell does that mean? Why should we follow you?"

"My dear Skulker. If it wasn't for me, you would now enjoying the confines of Walker's prison. I have big plans for the human realm and if you join me, I promise you all power beyond your wildest imagination."

"You talk big!" A large ghost covered in white fur stepped next to Skulker. "But you have done little to prove yourself to us."

Vlad hid his annoyance well. "Do all you share these sentiments?"

A small five foot ghost walked past Skulker and the furry ghost. He looked humanoid except for the fact he was covered in eyeballs. "I will join you."

"Good Eyevar! Anyone else?"

The last ghost was dressed in a red business suit and top hat. His skin was blue and his eyes shined with green light. "You make an interesting proposal." He took off his hat and bowed. "I will join."

"So half the room is with me. It is a start. As for the remainder, sit back and watch. I have just made arrangements to have a tech specialist added to our ranks." Vlad stood up. "And soon my forces will grow in number and the world will know the name Plasmus."

* * *

Danny and Tucker had never ran as hard as they were now. They decided to head to Danny's house as his parents were the easiest to convince of any lame story they could come up with. The turned the corner and stopped as the neared The Fenton home. A police car was parked in front of the building.

"What happened?"

Danny didn't answer Tucker as he ran to his home. "Mom! Dad!"

"Danny!" His mother opened the door and jumped down the steps. "Oh Danny!" She wrapped him in a tight hug. "Thank heavens your alright."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"There was an explosion at your school. Several teachers and students are in the hospital and some are even missing. When they couldn't find you.." She started to cry.

Danny's heart sank. "The school? What kind of explosion?"

"No one is sure. Your dad is down there. He said the ecto scanners went off the charts when the explosion happen. He thinks that whatever caused it used ectoplasm as a base."

"Jazz?"

"She is fine! Luckily her class was on a field trip."

"I need to get to the hospital. My friends."

"We'll go later. It is best if we stay out of the way right now." Maddie looked up and saw Tucker. "Come inside. I'll call your parents and tell them your alright." She led the two boys inside.

* * *

_**Three Hours Later**_

Danny and Tucker hurried into Amity Park General. Jazz led them down the hall to the east wing. Danny ran to the desk.

"Is a Sam Manson here?"

The receptionist quickly glanced down her list. "Yes. She is visiting one of her friends. A Amber McLain." She pointed down the corridor. "Room 116!"

"Thank you!" Danny took of in a run.

"No running!"

Danny nearly fell down as he reached the room. It was a large private room. Amber was laying on a bed. Sam was sitting next to her reading a book. He sighed in relief.

Sam looked up. "Danny!" She jumped up and gave him a quick hug. "I was worried that you and Tucker disappeared."

"Hard pressed to get rid of me. How is Amber?"

"She got hit by some flying rubble. Would have been worst if Zack hadn't pulled her out before the fires reached her. Poor guy actually got burned." Sam turned to the sleeping girl. "She refused to leave until the entire band had gotten out." She managed a weak chuckle. "Had Rachel drag me out so I wouldn't stay."

"What exactly happened?"

"Not sure. There was a series of loud blasts and then smoke." Sam hugged herself. "It was horrible."

"Danny!" Tucker appeared in the doorway. "Mr. Nicolas is one of the people they can't find."

"Anyone else?"

"Not sure, but no confirmed deaths."

Danny looked at Tucker and then Sam. "Who would do this kind of thing?"

* * *

Night fell upon Amity Park as Plasmus floated over the ruins of the high school. He marveled at the shear destruction his bombs had unleashed. He made a note to try and stabilize the raw ectoplasm he used. It was still too unstable. He landed in the rubble that had been the computer labs. A ghost was on his knees in the center of the area. He had a white mullet and a long ponytail that hung just above his waist. Plasmus smiled. His target had been full transformed into a ghost. As he landed, he felt a wave of ecto energy. The shockwave had been more powerful than he had originally planed. If the ghost noticed him, he didn't bother to move. He just kept staring at the rubble.

"Having trouble my friend?"

The ghost glanced back at him. "I'm having trouble remembering things. My mind is a jumble."

"Understandable." Plasmus walked up to him and placed his hand on the ghost's shoulder. "That is why I am here."

"Really?"

"I help those who are in your situation. You have been given a great gift. You are now one of the chosen ones."

"Chosen Ones? What is this, a video game?"

Plasmus held back a sneer. "Just come with me. Everything will be clear in time." The ghost nodded and stood up. Plasmus pulled out a small rod from his belt. He pointed the rod and a green portal appeared. He led the ghost through the portal and it shut behind them.


	11. Choices

-1Sleep was not forth coming for young Danny. The events of the last forty eight hours weighed heavily on his mind. Giving up on tossing and turning, he sat himself at his desk and tried concentrate on a copy of King Arthur that Sam had given him. He barely got past the first page before falling asleep on top of it.

* * *

Danny was shaken awake by the horse he was sitting on. It took Danny a full minute to realize he was actually on a horse. A quick pat down of his body reveled himself to be in medieval knight armor.

"I must be dreaming!" He looked around and found himself in a grassy field overlooking a large castle. "I just hope this doesn't turn out to be a nightmare."

He gripped the reins and gently kicked the horse. It started a slow walk towards the castle. As he neared the castle, a cold feeling overcame him. The horse stopped and the once sunny landscape turned dark. He heard the sound of hooves and a large knight in black armor appeared in front of him. He rode a dark horse with glowing red eyes.

"Figures!" He reached down for his sword and was much depressed when he found none. "Oh boy!"

The knight rode up to Danny and held out his hand. "Fear not young one! I have come to talk." It was the same voice that Raiden had used in The Ghost Zone.

"Have we met?"

"Yes! Again I must use a disguise in order to speak to you."

"Have you heard?"

"I am sorry for what has happened, but I am afraid this is just the beginning."

"This destiny thing you were telling me. The school was apart of it."

The black knight nodded. "And many more that is just on the horizon. All of this has been foreseen."

Danny face grew sullen, "You mean you knew about the bomb in the school."

The Black Knight shook his head. "No! But it was a disaster. I'm afraid there isn't any detailed information on the coming events. I am just trying to prepare you for whatever is on the horizon."

Danny choked to hold back his tears. "Why me? I'm just a kid."

"It isn't fair, but things in life rarely are."

"What if I don't train or whatever?"

"This world and countless others will be destroyed." The Black Knight rode closer and placed an armored hand on Danny's shoulder. "There are no guarantees. Even if I mold you into the most powerful hero that can be imagined, the chance for failure will remain."

"What do I tell my family? My friends?"

The Black Knight's head lowered and he backed away. "They must know nothing of what is to happen. If they did, there is a good chance that higher powers will discover the fact I am helping you."

"Don't they care?"

"No! They merely observe."

"Are you one of them?"

"A question for another time." The knight turned his horse. "I have decided that training you while you still reside on your home plane is possible. Every other day in the afternoon you will go to the far side of Amity Park. There you will find an old warehouse I have secured, it has been converted to a place I may teach you. Simply tell everyone you are taking self defense classes. It won't be a lie."

Danny thought it over for a few minutes. "Fine! When do we start?"

"In a week you will be sent to another school, we shall start then. Until that time, think about everything and enjoy yourself." The area began to grow dark. "Until then, farewell!"

* * *

Danny woke up. He rubbed his eyes and glanced at his desk clock. It was four thirty in the morning. "Was it all a dream?" He found a piece of paper clutched in his hand. It was a map to the outskirts of the city. Danny stared at it for a long time before deciding it wasn't.

* * *

The week past quickly enough. Like the knight had said, the students had been split up and sent to other schools to further their education. He was thankful that Tucker and Sam were in his group. Unfortunately, he heard Dash and a major chunk of the football team were also in his group and he was sure that Dash wouldn't let up on the tormenting despite all that happened. The school was called Casper High. The irony wasn't lost to him as he walked to his new school. He had just crossed a street when he spotted his Sam and Amber waiting for him near an alley. Both were dressed in full Goth gear.

"Hey Sam. Amber. Have you seen Tucker yet?"

"Why should we care about that dork?"

Sam gave Amber a look, "Come on! I put up with your friends."

Amber simply sighed, "Fine. We haven't seen your popularity deficient friend."

Danny managed a small chuckle, "Close enough! So how you feeling?"

"I'd be better if my base player wasn't still in the hospital or if my drummer had been sent to the same school I'm forced to go to."

"Ok!" Danny slowly backed away towards Sam. "How about you?"

"Good all things considered." She checked her watch. "We better get going, I'm sure Tucker will meet us there."

As Danny nodded in agreement, a blue steam issued from his mouth. "There is that steam again."

"Are you catching a cold?"

"Get down!"

Amber pulled Sam to the ground as a gray flash of light shot from the sky and slammed into Danny. The teen flew into the alley and hit the ground hard. The green light transformed into a floating humanoid torso with a ghostly tail. The body was muscular and partially transparent. The head was little more than a large bump with green eyes and mouth. Danny pushed himself up in time for one of the muscular arms knocked him back down.

"What do you want?"

"For you to suffer." The voice was raspy.

The ghost's fist sparked with energy. As he raised his hands, a soda can flew through his head and landed on the ground. The ghost turned to see the two girls a few feet behind him.

"A can!" Amber rubbed her eyes. "You big plan was a can."

"We can't just let that thing hurt Danny."

The ghost sighed and aimed one of his hands at them. A red beam of energy shot from the hand and flew at the girls. It impacted the ground in front of them and blasted them back. He turned back to Danny and fired a beam from his other hand. The beam hit the boy directly in the chest. It slammed him into the side of one of the buildings. The ghost's fingers grew into claws. As he neared Danny, a black gloved hand erupted through his chest. It glowed with purple light and the ghost screamed in pain. The light enveloped the ghost who exploded into nothingness. Danny crawled away as that same gloved hand reached for him.

"Get away!"

"Don't worry young Daniel. I am here to help you."

Danny looked up and saw that the hand belonged to a tall blue skinned ghost in a white suit. A white cape completed the outfit. The ghost smiled and reviled a fang.

"I apologize for startling you. My name is Plasmus and I am here to help you."

Danny slowly got to his feet. "Really, I am hearing a lot of that lately."

"I understand your confusion. Your transformation has stirred up a lot of commotion. Many would love to use you to their own ends."

Danny inched away, "How do I know your not just like them?"

Plasmus simply bowed slightly. "I, unlike them will give you a choice. Let me show you the big picture and if you do not want my help, then I will not bother you anymore."

"You'd explain everything?"

"Every last detail."

Danny silently stood for a minute as he tried to make up his mind. "I need time to think this over."

"Of course!" Plasmus started to float into the air. "I will drop by after a couple of days to hear your answer, until then." He vanished.

Danny was so focused on the sky, he barely felt Sam tugging on his arm. "Danny!"

The boy shook his head. "Yeah!"

"Who was that guy and why were you attacked?"

"I'm not sure!" Danny turned away. "I need to think!" Danny ran down the alley and disappeared around the corner.

Sam started to go after him, but Amber grabbed her arm. "Let him go! What can you do?" Sam wanted to argue, but in truth, she wasn't sure what she could do either.


	12. Clockwork

Danny ran until his legs collapsed under him. He dropped to his knees and struggled to fill his lungs with air. When his breathing finally stabilized he sat up and looked behind him. He was in a parking lot of a grocery store on the edge of town. He checked his watch and found out he had been running for over and hour.

"Damn! Never been able to do that before." He looked at his hands. "What has happened to me?" Danny slammed his fists on the ground. "And what does everyone what with me?"

"So many questions, for such a young boy. I have unfairly pushed you without considering your feelings."

Danny turned and spotted the guy who looked like Raiden, "Why?"

"For the first time, the future is uncertain to me."

He tapped his walking staff onto the ground. In a flash of light, they were in a large room made of stone. It looked like something out of Camelot, minus the row of computers that dominated one wall and the center of the room. Danny stood up and looked around. Verities of clocks were all over the place, each with a different time on them. Radien had transformed into a ghost with a ghostly tail from the waist down. He wore light blue with a darker blue cape and hood. He held a green glowing staff with a clock on the tip of it.

"You ready to explain everything."

He nodded. "Ever since time began, I have watched the ever changing river that is the time line. Every so often, it would split off from its course and I had to correct it. This process has been uninterrupted up till now. At the moment of your accident, the future has become clouded and I cannot completely pierce the dark barrier that blocks my sight."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"Like I said before, I have seen small glimpses and you play a major part in all of them. You will either save your world and many of the others, or fail and the realms will be destroyed."

"That's why you were pushing so hard."

"Without knowing the danger, I had to make sure you were prepared for anything. I am sorry, I have never been in this position before."

"I can understand that. So where do we go from here?"

"I'll tell you all I know and hopefully, we can stop the great disaster from happening."

"Clockwork!" A group of loud voices filled the room. Danny had to cover his ears to keep his head from exploding. "You have broken the great commandment."

Danny looked around, "What was that?"

"The observers." Clockwork floated over to his computer consoles. "They are a race of ancient spirits that record all events that happen everywhere in this reality."

The room began to shake. Danny fell to the floor as the shaking began to break apart the room. "What are they doing?"

"I was ordered not to interfere. They want to see what happens when a disaster of this magnitude happens."

"That's crazy!"

"They are immortal beings of great power. Crazy doesn't even begin to describe them." Clockwork tore off a piece of paper that printed off his computer. He flew to Danny and thrusted it into his hand. "Take this! It will lead you to a man that has helped me keep the realm together for centuries. He will train you."

"What about that Plasmus guy who saved me?"

"Stay away from him. He is more dangerous than you know." Clockwork touched Danny's chest with his staff. "We will meet again, Danny!" Danny vanished in a flash of light.

* * *

Vlad Plasmus sat on his throne as he watched his newest addition to his forces demonstrate his latest invention. The ghost formally known as Nicolas had thrown himself into his new role as Plasmus's technical advisor. He wore all back save for grey boots and gloved. A black cape adorned his shoulders and hand his hand through his mullet as smaller ghosts set up a metal dish on the floor in front of the throne. Strapped to his back was a large cylinder filled with green liquid. He gripped a large sprayer connected to the cylinder.

"What is the point of this, my lord?" The ghost in the red business suit and hat was standing next to the throne. "You need to convince more ghosts to join your banner."

"Patience, Red. Nothing I do is pointless. How is the recruitment on your end?"

"Several weaker ghosts have agreed to join your ranks, but very few worth any mention."

"Pawns are needed in any game." Plasmus motioned to the ghost bellow. "Begin the demonstration, Technus."

"My lord!" Technus waved at the dish and a blue and white flame appeared in it. "This is called Ghost Fire. It consumes spiritual energy for fuel so it is very dangerous for ghosts. It is almost impossible to put out through any means."

Red sighed. "Your point."

"This!" Technus aimed the sprayer and fired green foam at the ghost fire. The flame went out. "I have developed a special energy mixture and converted it into a foam like substance. With this." Technus held the sprayer up. "We can extinguish any amount of ghost fire with the right amount foam."

Before Red could say anything, Plasmus clapped his hands. "Good work. A nearly hopeless task and you have succeeded. You have proven your worth. Return to your lab. I will soon have you help me with my special project."

Technus bowed. "Thank you my lord." He turned and walked out.

Red nodded. "I see! You were testing him."

"Of course. I need exceptional ghosts to achieve the domination I desire."

"The boy?"

"Soon! He must join of his own free will."

* * *

In downtown Amity Park, Sam and Amber had split up to look for Danny. Well, Sam looked; Amber simply wandered around looking at the shops. As Amber walked past an alley, a strong pair of hands grabbed her arms and pulled her into the alley. She was flung to the hard ground as three guys stood over her. All three wore high school football jackets from a school she hadn't heard of. She pushed herself up to a sitting position.

"What do you losers want?"

The lead guy stepped forward. He had white hair and mirrored sunglasses. "What is a pretty little girl like you doing out during school hours?"

Amber sighed. "I really don't feel like playing." She stood up. "Get lost!"

The white haired guy chuckled and shoved her back down. "Sorry, but we do feel like playing. You can go when we finish."

"You guys are going regret this."

"I highly doubt that." He signaled his two friends and the picked up Amber. He smiled and grabbed her chin. "We're going to have fun."

Amber smirked and rammed her knee into the guy's groin. He fell to the ground; clutching the spot she had hit him. "That was fun." One of the guys holding her punched her in the gut. She coughed hard as her lungs empted suddenly.

The guy she kneed stood up. "You little wench." He slapped her across her face. He brought his hand up, but froze as a greenish aura covered Amber. Amber's gaze rose and met his. Her eyes were a piercing green color.

"Nobody! Strikes me!" Her hair transformed into green fire. A blast of energy exploded around her and the guys holding her were blasted into the alleys walls.

"What are you?" The lead guy backed away.

"My name is Ember! Remember that!" Green energy spheres appeared in her hands. She flung them at the guy. The exploded on impact and he was knocked out of the alley and slammed into a parked car.

Amber hobbled out of the alley with a hand on her head a minute later. She had returned to normal. "What happened?"


	13. Thats Captain

Danny opened his eyes and found himself staring at a black ceiling. He rubbed his head and turned his head to the side. A large grey skull glared at him with green jeweled eyes. Danny yelled and rolled away from it. He fell off the large table he had been on and landed on the stone floor. Now his face hurt. He pushed himself up and looked around. The room was made of rough worked stone. Gold adorned the walls in various forms. Stone tables were scattered her and their. All covered in gems and bottles of powder of a rainbow of colors. Danny walked over to one of the largest tables and looked at a golden sword that sat in a stand. It was like a saber but a bit longer. A bowl of burning incense was beneath it.

"Strange."

Further searching of the room located a stone staircase that curved upward into the wall. As Danny headed to it, he pasted a golden pedestal with a well worn leather hat on it. It was a tri hat that could be seen in almost any pirate movie. As he reached out to touch it, the flat of a sword rapped his knuckles. Danny stepped back as a man stepped down from the stairs. He wore thick leather boots, well worn trousers, and white button shirt that was only half buttoned. He was Caucasian with a fair tan and dread locks. He rubbed his mustache and goatee as he analyzed Danny with his sharp eyes.

"Your either a very bad burglar, or a very pushy salesman." He walked around Danny. "But I am willing to bet your extremely lost."

Danny simply shrugged. "I just ended up here. Your not going to believe this, but a ghost named Clockwork transported me here." He chuckled.

The man shrugged. "I have no problem believing it. Know that particular ghost quiet well."

"Really?"

"Quiet right, mate." The man stood up straight and looked like he was giving a lecture. "Clockwork is the ghost of time. He is responsible for keeping the universe from spiraling out of control and meeting its untimely doom." He smirked. "Or at least, he tells me to do it."

"What? Your making little sense."

"And you telling me that you suddenly appeared in my basement by a ghost from another dimension. Make sense to you?"

"Point taken."

The man patted Danny on the head. "Good lad." He walked past him and plopped down into a well worn easy chair. "My name is Captain Jack Sparrow. I am Clockwork's agent of time so to speak."

"Aren't you a fictional character from a Disney film?"

"Sold my life story about fifty years ago. Made a mint. You see, every so often, Clockwork plucks a hero from their time, slows their aging to a crawl, trains them, and sends them out to save reality as we know it." Jack reached under a desk and pulled out a large bottle with a cork in it. "And when that hero gets tired of doing the job, they are returned to their time and a new hero selected."

"He chose a pirate."

"Not just any pirate." He uncorked the bottle and stood up, tall and proud. "I am The Immortal Captain Jack Sparrow." Jack gulped down the red liquid that was in the bottle and tossed it into a large barrel in one of the corners of the room. "Savvy?" Danny was more confused now than ever. He held out the piece of paper that Clockwork had given him. Jack snatched it and quickly read it. "Oh bother." He stood up. "So old Clockwork wants me to train you in the use of your ghostly abilities and help prepare you for some great disaster that is going to rear its ugly head." Jack scratched his head. "This promises to be a load of fun." He looked at Danny who just stood, frozen into place. "Please send me the kraken again."

* * *

An hour later, the two walked into Clockwork's warehouse on the outskirts of Amity Park. It was filled with metal rings of various sizes and walls of different materials. A large table dominated one side of the area. It was covered in books and other items. Jack whistled. "He went all out."

"What is all this for?"

"You." Jack walked to the clear area near the center of the warehouse. "So what I can surmise from Clockwork's note is that you must transform into your ghost form in order to use your powers. So, transform!"

"I don't know how."

"I don't suppose you know the relationship between the physical body and the sprit body."

"Not a clue."

Jack sighed and hung his head. "Why me?" He looked around and spotted a large chalk board. "Ok." He went over and drew three circles on it. "I learned this a few hundred years ago. It is dry so try and stay awake. All living things are comprised of these three elements. The mind, the body, and the spirit. Command these three things and you can do anything." Jack drew arrows connecting the three circles. "Spiritual power is the source of all energy used by ghosts and humans. Ghost have their special powers because they don't have a body restraining them."

"So the body is bad?"

"No! We can become stronger because of the body. When a human utilizes their spiritual power, it enhances their body's."

"Strong body plus strong spirit means more power."

"Precisely mate." Jack tapped the top circle with the chalk. "The mind controls the other two. Your ghostly powers will only manifest is your mind can meld them with your body."

"What does this all mean?"

Jack slapped his forehead with hand. "You need to focus your mind so it can tap into your spiritual powers. It is harder for us humans, but when we do." A ring appeared around Jack's feet. It exploded into a cylinder of light and engulfed him. The light vanished and Jack was now in what best could be described as pirate gear. A long leather coat and boots. He tipped his leather hat. "Great things can happen."

"All you did was change your clothes."

Jack smiled and pulled out an old, one shot pistol. He took aim at stone wall and fired. A green beam shot from the pistol and blasted a hole into the wall. The powers take the form of the will of the user. In my case, my old gear. I have a few other tricks I will show you in time, but first."

"My power! But I am still unsure how to transform."

"Your mind will cause your spirit energy to merge with your body and turn you into your ghost form." Jack pulled out a green pendant on a silver chain. "This little trinket will put you into a semi meditative state. It should allow you to bring out your powers more easily." He held it up and it sparked against Danny's eyes. "When you think you found the source of your transformation, I want you to pick a word or phrase. Your mind and body will associate that word or phrase with your spirit. It should make your transformations as easy as saying the word or phrase. So don't pick something you say everyday."

"Right!" The light from the pendant flashed. Danny's mind seemed to leave his body and he felt an energy that he had never felt before. "I can feel it."

"Good, mate. Now try to bring that power to your body."

Danny concentrated and he could fell the energy following him. "Going Ghost!" A ring appeared around Danny's waist and split into two. One flew up and the other down. The rings vanished and Danny no wore a black jumpsuit and his hair was white. He looked at his white gloves and boots. "I did it?"

"Congratulations! With proper practice, you will be able to transform without the phrase."

"How do I return to normal?"

"Just will it. Your body with natural return to its old state."

Danny closed his eyes and he shifted back to his human form. "That was easy."

"You've done well in such a short amount of time." Jack pulled out a gold pocket watch from his leather coat. "Half the day is almost gone. You better hurry along if you wish to even attend class today. We will start formal training tomorrow after school."

"Right!" Danny ran to the exit. "Thanks Jack."

"That is Captain Jack!"

* * *

Ultimate Profile

**Clockwork**

The ghost of time and guardian of reality as it is known. At the dawn of time, he was assigned to safe guard the very fabric of the reality. With his powers over time, he can see the course of time that is best and what must be done to insure the universe safely follows it path. Unable to interfere directly due to fear of the timeline's destruction, he selects a hero to act in his stead. In the wake of the darkness that has blinded him to the distant future, he has sent Danny to his latest agent to hopefully save the reality and once again, make the future known to him.


	14. Found and Lost

**Author's note:** This chapter made me a little uncomfortable. I changed it and hope I haven't offended anyone.

* * *

Danny's run towards school was halted by a girl's voice yelling his name. He skidded to a stop and spotted Sam waving at him from across the street. She quickly sprinted to him. She bent over and struggled to catch her breath.

"Sam! What are you doing on this side of town?"

The girl took a few deep breaths and straightened up. "Looking for you. I was worried."

Danny's eyes lit up. "You were?"

"Yeah." She rubbed her arm. "I only have a few friends. Have to make sure they stay safe."

"Right." Danny looked around. "Where is Amber? She headed to school."

"I don't know? She was helping me look for you. Granted she didn't want to that much. I don't know where she is. Hope she is alright."

Danny managed a small grin. "We better go and look for her. She may hate my guts, but she is your best friend."

"Thanks. I'm sure she can't be far."

Before they could move, a large metal colored SUV screeched to a halt in front of them. It had six huge tires and numerous antennas on the roof. The side slid open and a woman in a blue jumpsuit and red goggles stepped out.

Danny's jaw dropped. "Mom!"

The woman pulled off her goggles and headpiece. Her red hair fanned out and tears dripped from her eyes. "Danny!" She threw her arms around him and squeezed him as hard as she could. "When I heard you didn't show up for school, I was so worried."

"How did you find me?"

Maddie wiped her eyes and held up the watch that was on Danny's left wrist. "There is a tracking chip in your Fenton Watch."

"You have me tagged?"

"We can't be to careful in times like this." Maddie let go of her son. "What are you two doing out of school?"

Danny couldn't find an answer. He couldn't tell her about his ghost half or his new teacher. He struggled to find an answer that would keep him out of trouble. He finally sighed in defeat.

His mom looked at Sam and smiled at his silence. "Don't worry, I understand." Both of the teens faces turned red. Danny tried to say something, but she hushed him. "I was young once too. And I can understand considering everything that has happened. But school must come first." She pushed them into the SUV. "And don't worry about anything. I won't tell your father. He is occupied in the lab anyways." Maddie got behind the wheel. "I'll tell the school you two were helping me." She started the vehicle before Danny or Sam could argue. She just hoped that Amber was already at school or heading home.

* * *

From atop of a nearby building, two ghosts watched the SUV drive off. One was dressed in a red suit and large matching hat. The second looked like a silver robot with a flaming green Mohawk.

The blue ghost in the suit scratched his chin. "I still don't understand why that boy is so important to the master."

"He is a rare specimen. I would love to mount his head on my wall and his pelt on my floor."

"You will do no such thing." Red's normally low voice grew in volume. "You are now a member of Lord Plasmus's court. If the master wants the boy unharmed, that it will be as thus."

Skulker sighed. "Very well." He looked over the roof and scanned the streets bellow. "I don't suppose I would offend our lord by going on my usual prowling."

"As long as it doesn't interfere with his plans."

"I highly doubt it will." Skulker flew off the roof and vanished.

Red lingered with his thoughts for a few moments before deciding leave. As he turned to open a portal home, he came face to face with a pirate. Red was so startled, he jumped off the roof and had to hover to keep from falling.

"Jack Sparrow!" The ghost's voice was full of disgust.

Jack wagged his finger at him. "That is Captain Jack Sparrow! How many times do I have to tell you that?"

Red grinded his teeth. "What are you doing here?"

Jack put on a hurt face. "No, Hi or how are you? Just, What are you doing here? Well I am fine and in a splendid mood. You?"

"Far better than how you left me the last time we met."

"Are you still sore about that silly little thing? That was over a hundred years ago."

"You left me in a vile dimension to rot." Red began to yell.

Jack grinned. "You escaped and look no worst for it."

Red's eyes flashed. "I am going to…"

Jack drew his pistol and took aim at the ghost's head. "Easy there. I cam here to ask a question, nothing more. Why are you working for Plasmus? Seems beneath you."

Red smiled and pulled a small metal rod from his suit. "The winds of destiny are a blowing. Best to find a solid place to stand or risk being blown away." Red pointed the rod to his right and a small green beam shot from it. The beam ripped into the air and formed a green vortex. "There is no risk to the timeline here. Your helpless to do anything." Red flew into the vortex and it vanished.

Jack chuckled. "That is what you think, mate."

* * *

Across town, in one of the large houses in the rural area, Sam thoughts were pulled from her homework. "Amber!" Sam grabbed her phone from its charge base and quickly dialed her cell phone number. It rang a few times before being transferred to voice mail. She hung up and dialed her home phone. It rang several times before Sam gave up. Amber's dad never bothered to get an answering machine. Sam tossed her phone on to her bed and went to the window. Some how, she knew her friend was in trouble, but didn't know what she could do. She closed her eyes and prayed as hard as she could that Amber would be alright, somehow.

* * *

The sun was setting as Amber stumbled her way home. Her head was still pounding from earlier. She had decided to skip school, not a hard choice, and spent most of the day in one of the two Nasty Burger fast food joints. Food had done little to make her feel better. As she walked, she spotted a bus stop gazebo and decided to sit for a spell. Amber pulled out her cell phone and sighed at the no signal sign on the LCD screen.

"I'm in the center of town. How can I still have no signal?" She resisted the urge to toss the phone and returned the device to her pocket. "My day can't get any worst."

"That is a very dangerous phrase my dear."

Amber jumped to her feet as a man appeared behind the glass of the gazebo. He looked like a muscular human, but had shiny metal skin with a faint green glow. His face was skull like and he sported a metal Mohawk.

"What's it to you? You Halloween reject."

The metal man simply bowed his head. "My name is Skulker and when one says it, things tend to get worst." He flexed his left wrist and a pair of glowing green blades appeared on his arm. "Like now!"

He swung the blades and shattered the glass in between them. Amber held up her arms to deflect the glass from her face. As she lowered her arms, his right hand grabbed her neck and he pulled her from the gazebo. "You're a tasty little morsel." He spotted a closed music store nearby. "Perfect." He turned them both intangible and flew into the store. "A nice quiet place."

"Let me go!" Amber's hair exploded with bluish green fire. Her eyes flashed as she opened her mouth. A loud scream issued from her mouth. Skulker tossed the girl down and clutched the sides of his head, despite the fact he had no ears on his head. She landed next to a rack of electric guitars. Amber spotted a purple one and quickly grabbed it. Green energy flowed from her hand and turned the strings green. "Nice!" As she turned, Skulker jammed an electrified spike into her gut. She cried out and her hair returned to normal. She dropped to the floor, exhausted.

"So, your one of those half ghost the master was talking about." Skulker looked at the spike that had slid out of his right hand. "Good thing I had Technus upgrade me." His eyes glowed yellow as his scanners ran over her. "That should keep you tame for awhile." He grabbed her hair and pulled her up. "We're going to have some fun before I turn you over to the boss." Skulker tossed Amber down.

Amber's mind was dizzy and she wasn't able to focus her vision. "Stop! Please!"

"Not until I have had all my fun, it is time…" A large sledge hammer slammed into the back of his head. He fell into a stack of amplifiers. He rubbed the dent on his head as he turned towards his attacker. The door to the store had been forced an a teen was standing over him with a large sledge hammer in his hands. "Who and How?"

"Zack, bass player. Still working on number two." He swung the hammer down.

Skulker blocked with his hand. "I give you credit for sneaking up on me, but your still human." His eyes fell onto Zack's bandaged left arm. "An injured one at that." His free hand balled into a fist and slammed into Zack's left arm. The teen yelled in pain and dropped the hammer. Skulker rose to his feet. "Now I am going to give you a matching dent for your head." As he approached the teen, he stopped as his sensors went wild. Zack's left arm burst into red fire.

"Burn!" The fire appeared on his right arm as well. Twin jets of flame shot from his arms and blasted into Skulker. The metal ghost was lifted off his feet and slammed into the back wall of the store. The jets continued for several moments before vanishing as quickly as they appeared. Most of Skulker's chest was melted and only half of his face was untouched. Ignoring what happed, Zack quickly ran to the prone Amber.

"Boss? Can you hear me? Amber?"

Amber pushed herself up. "GET.." Her hair turned to blue fire, "AWAY.." Purple energy formed around her hands. "FROM ME!" She slammed her hands into Zack's chest. The energy blasted him through the store front window. He hit the sidewalk hard. Amber dropped to the floor out cold.

A green vortex opened up in the center of the store and Plasmus stepped out. He looked around at the scene before him. He whistled. "Someone had fun." He glanced over at the melted Skulker. "Can't let you play for even a moment." He bent down and picked up Amber. "You my dear must have some real potential." A couple of black ghosts flew out of the vortex and picked up the fallen hunter. "And I guess I better fix you. You did find the girl after all." They all entered the vortex and it vanished.

* * *

Ultimate Profile

Jack Sparrow

A pirate from the golden age of piracy. Known for his skill and rather odd way of doing the right thing in the end, Clockwork selected him for the position of Agent of Time. With his aging stopped, he was sent through time to train with the greatest warriors and spiritualists from every point on the timeline. For two centuries, he has successfully repaired any and all damages to the timeline and kept it flowing on the course Clockwork deems the best. With his unorthodox methods and various powers granted by The Ghost of Time, Captain Jack Sparrow is a powerful force for good, when he isn't pocketing anything of value with in arms reach.


	15. Timelines

When she failed to find Amber at her home, Sam headed to the hospital, hoping she might be there visiting Zack. The sight before her knocked the wind out of her. Zack had a massive bandage around his head. His face was pale and covered in cuts. Sam slowly approached his bed side.

"Zack?"

The teen's eyes slowly opened. He looked around before he spotted Sam. "Sorry!"

"For what?"

"I couldn't save her. I tried, but something stopped me." He winced in pain. "It is all so fuzzy."

"Save who?"

"Amber! I heard you last night. You said she was in trouble. I grabbed what I could and tried. But…" Tears formed in his eyes. "This stupid arm of mine gave out."

Sam was confused. "What happened to Amber?"

"I think she was taken. No one could find her after they picked me up." Zack shut his eyes. "So tired."

"One more thing. How did you hear me?"

Zack motioned to his head. "Here. Never heard anything so clear in my life."

* * *

**Technus' hidden lab**

Vlad Plasmus stood behind a large glass window and watched as Technus slowly repaired Skulker's damaged body. Technus' lab was cut off from the rest of Vlad's compound. He said it helped him think better. Normally Vlad would right it off as nonsense, but Plasmus still was unsure that his talented ghost was completely unaware of his transformation. So a little giving was completely understandable. The lab had been filled the latest equipment that could be bought, plus many that Technus had invented or enhanced. The ghost of technology held a large metal staff in his left hand. Green energy flowed from the staff and washed over the body.

Red quietly stepped up behind and to the left of his master. "How damaged is Skulker?"

"Heavily. He needs to replace a lot of components. Most of Skulker's vital equipment has been melted through. Surprising that one girl did all that damage."

"She has power, but there is a problem. I am not sure I will be able to program this one.

Plasmus turned to Red. "Why is that? Her memories shouldn't be that difficult for you to change."

Red bowed his head slightly. "The girl has a sever case of split personality syndrome. The girl known as Amber, has no powers whatsoever and is very hostile."

"And the second personality."

"She refers to herself as Ember. While I haven't been able to gage her exact powers, I can tell you her ghostly energy level is quite high. I would put it around a class five or six."

"Assuming she can tap it. And her attitude?"

"Even more hostile. She seems intent on protecting her other self."

"Can we use that?"

"With time. The half of her that has the power has few memories to change."

Plasmus sighed. "Time is the one resource I am quickly running out of. My master plan must be ready to spring in less than a month."

"I will do my best."

"You better. I will not tolerate any failures."

* * *

School was slow for Danny. Tucker's parents had kept him home until the school could convince them that is was safe to send him. That and the fact Sam hadn't shown up either, made Danny painfully alone. The only kids he knew from his old school that had been transferred either wanted him in constant pain, or couldn't care less. He lucked out that Dash had been too busy trying to attract a new flock of girls to notice him today. He gathered what passed for a school lunch and headed for the tables outside. He found one empty table near the building and flopped down. He had about forty minutes to poke his rubber meatloaf before going back to class. As he decided to risk a bite, his world went dark. A pair of hands had covered his eyes. At first he feared it was Dash, but his hands were not this small or soft. They belonged to a girl.

"Paullina?" It was a false hope. It was followed by the return of his vision and a hard whack to the back of his head.

"And who is that?" Danny turned to see an annoyed Sam standing next to him.

"Just a joke."

"Right. Why would you want to even talk to a stuck up brat like her?"

"She's hot!"

Sam sighed and sat down next to him. "Boys."

"Where were you this morning?"

"Trying to find Amber. I think she was kidnapped."

"By who?"

"I don't know. Zack was there when it happened. He said I told him that Amber was in trouble."

"How did you know?"

"I had a feeling she was hurt and needed help last night. I wanted to help, but I wasn't sure if it was really happening. Zack said he heard me in his mind."

Danny's left eyebrow raised up. "Like a psychic or something?"

"I guess. I tried to read minds all morning, but nothing."

"Maybe it was just a coincidence."

Sam nodded. "You might be right."

Danny's body shivered and a blue mist issued from his mouth. "Oh boy. That's what happened when that boxy ghost attacked."

Both turned in time to see a guy cry out. The teen fell over in pain. He cried out as his body glowed with a sickly green light. His eyes flashed red and his body doubled in size. The teen stood up and roared as claws grew from his fingers and fangs from his teeth. "Much better. This body will due nicely." There was a loud uproar of screams and shouting as the teens outside tried their best to run back inside the school. The glowing teen turned towards Danny and Sam. "I hunger."

Danny looked at his tray. "Help yourself." The teen roared and lunged at them. "Guess not!" Sam and Danny jumped clear as the teen crushed the table with the force of his attack.

Both started to run as the teen charged after them. Danny spotted a bush and dove into it. "Going Ghost!" He transformed and leapt out in front of the teen. "Your not going any further." The teen's hand lashed out and knocked Danny from his feet. Danny pushed himself up. "Please." He jumped back as the teen tried to crush him with his fists.

"Danny!"

He glanced back at Sam. "Keep going! I can handle this." His words were followed by a hard punch to his gut. Before he could even register the wind being knocked out of him, another fist collided with his face. Danny next vision was a close up of the grass. Before he could even try to get up, a large hand gripped the back of his neck and hauled him up.

The large teen looked at him with red eyes. "The ecto energy you have is incredible. The power I will gain will catapult me to the top."

"You want energy!" Danny's fists glowed with green light. "Here!" Beams of light shot from his fists and slammed into the face of the teen. He dropped Danny and clutched his smoking face.

"I will break you and consume you."

"That is way beyond gross." Danny tried to fire off more energy beams, but nothing even sparked around his hands. "Perfect." Danny backed away as the teen's sight returned.

As he neared Danny, a shot rung out, "Hey!"

The teen turned and spotted a full blown pirate standing several feet behind him. "You got to be kidding."

The pirate clapped his hands and whistled like he was calling a dog to him, "Come on! Time for the main course."

"Your going to die before Halloween old man." The teen charged.

"Old man?" Jack's right hand sparked with white energy. "OLD MAN???"

Jack slammed his hand into the chest of the teen. His hand and arm flew through the teen's body. As it exited, he had a green blob of energy in his fist. The teen's body returned to normal as it hit the ground. Jack tossed the blob to the ground. It bubbled and transformed into a humanoid torso that floated off the ground.

"Really?" Jack shook off the small bits of energy from his hand. "I had hoped you would have been a little bit stronger." He drew his one shot pistol. "I guess I will just have to live with it."

Before the ghost could move, Jack fired. The small round bullet stop just in front of the ghost. Black tendrils of energy shot from the bullet and ensnared the ghost. He screamed as he was absorbed into the bullet. The bullet flashed with black light and dropped. Jack bent down and picked it up. "Hardly worth the bullet." He looked at Danny. "Having a nice day?"

"How?" Danny looked around and say that nothing was moving. "What happened?"

"Agent of Time. I can stop time for a short while, savvy. Can't be causing a mass panic now can I?" Jack snapped his fingers. "That reminds me." He drew his sword and slashed at the air. A tare of purple and red light appeared. He sheathed his sword and waved his hand. The tare vanished.

"What was that?"

Jack smirked. "I can only use my abilities when stopping a tare in the space time whatever. So I stopped a tare."

"But you caused it."

"They never said that I could only fix other people's tares. And would you prefer that I let the overgrown ghost beat you to a pulp."

Danny thought it over. "Good point. What was that?"

Jack waved his hand. "I'll tell you later at the warehouse. Can't be to careful about who may be listening." He put his finger to his lips. "So mums the word. See you soon." Jack vanished in a flash of white light.

* * *

Ultimate Profile

Ultimate Plasmus

Vlad Masters alter ego. His hybrid status gives him far more power than the average ghost and an ego to match. Styling himself as a conquering emperor. He seeks to carve out an empire on both Earth and The Ghost Zone. He is slowly building up his forces and gathering everything he needs to capture all that he wishes. He harbors a deep love for Maddie Fenton and will do almost anything to make her his.


	16. Training Day One

After the attack, Danny found the school strangely quiet. No one seemed to have any memory of the attack. Even Sam didn't recall what happened. Rather than question it, he just accepted it. He figured the school was better off not knowing. The rest of the day went by at its usual slow pace. After school, he quickly headed for the warehouse. He found Jack sitting in a chair with his head face down on the nearby table.

"Jack?"

"What was that?"

Danny sighed, "Captain Jack?"

Jack lifted his head and grinned. "How was school?"

"Fine. How did you make everyone forget?"

"Simple memory spell. Learned it from a witch in the seventeen hundreds. Or was it sixteen hundreds." Jack shrugged and stood up. "Ready for your first official day of training?"

"Yeah, but you said you would explain what happened at school."

"First break, mate. Now transform!"

Danny tossed down his backpack. "Going Ghost!" The twin rings formed and transformed him into his ghost form.

Jack clapped. "Very good! First is Flight. Flight is the simplest ability a ghost has. It may seem strange at first, but so was your first steps as a lad. Focus your mind and surround your body with your ghostly energy. Then think yourself lighter."

Danny nodded and closed his eyes. A light field of green energy surrounded his body. He slowly began to float off the floor.

"Yes! Thats it."

Danny suddenly shot into the air and crashed into the high ceiling.

"Too much! Tone it down!"

Danny suddenly started to fall and hit the floor.

Jack cringed at the impact and slowly walked over to the prone boy. "Not bad for a first try. Anything broken?"

"No!" Danny groaned as he pushed himself back to his feet. "Very grateful my ghost form is tougher than my human form."

"That it is. But never forget, your half-human. Don't let yourself be too enamored with your ghost half. Or you risk losing everything that makes you human."

"Sounds like you have seen that happen before."

Jack's face turned grim for about a minute, then back to normal. "Nope!" He chuckled. "Ok, back on the horse as the saying goes."

"Right." Danny closed his eyes and floated up so he was about four feet above the floor. He opened his eyes and smiled. "I'm doing it."

"Not bad, mate. Now, try to focus some of your energy into your feet. Use it to push yourself forward."

"Like rocket boots?"

Jack shrugged. "In a sense."

Danny's boots glowed as he focused his energy. He shot forward like a bullet out of a gun. Jack dropped to the floor to avoid being crashed into. Danny flew across the warehouse and slammed into a bookcase.

Jack winced as Danny dropped and the books fell on him. "That had to hurt."

Danny's head appeared from the pile of books. "Are you sure this is the simplest ability to practice?"

"I'm highly questioning it?" Jack walked over and pulled a large book off of Danny's head. "Maybe energy blasts would be easier."

Five minutes later, Jack stuck his head out from an over turned table. The warehouse was covered in burns and smoke. "How about you do some studying? Some nice safe studying."

Jack sat Danny in a chair in front of a circular table. He dropped an extremely large and heavy book on the table in front of him. Danny gulped at the shear size of the book. "What is this thing?"

"Toben's Spirit Guide." Jack tapped the book's leather cover. "Toben was a ghost who spent centuries studying The Ghost Zone and ghosts. Almost any question you have about the place or kind of ghost is in here."

"Do you have any idea how long it will take to read this?"

Jack looked at the book carefully. "About as long as it took to write it. But this isn't a normal book." He opened it to the first page. "It has a handy glossary." Danny gave Jack a puzzled look. Jack sighed. "Book!" The page started to glow gold. "Class one ghosts." The pages of the book turned themselves at a rapid pace before stopping. The chapter's title read, 'Class one ghosts.'

"Damn!"

Jack patted Danny on the back. "What did I tell you? You can even describe something ghostly to the book and it will find it. Now.." Jack drew his pistol and fired a green beam into a shadow near one of the corners of the building. "We take care of our little intruder."

A girl in black stumbled out of the shadows. Danny quickly jumped in front of Jack. "She is a friend, Jack."

"Jack!" Sam stepped up next to Danny and looked at Jack. "Jack Sparrow? From the movie."

"Yeah, except Jack is real."

The two teens begin to talk and exchange his name around without the all important word in front of it. Jack finally yelled and they got quiet.

"Listen up, I am going to say this only once more. It is Captain Jack Sparrow. I'll take Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Sparrow, Captain Jack, or just plan Captain. I'll except Cap, but only once and a while." He thought for a moment. "I can also live with sir. OK?" The two nodded. "Good!" Jack started to walk away.

"Jack?"

Nothing.

"Captain Jack?"

The pirate turned to Danny. "Yes."

Danny pointed to Sam. "The intruder?"

"Oh, right!" He walked over to Sam. "How did you get in here? I have more spirit shields around this place than most monasteries."

Sam shrugged. "I also remember the attack at school. How did you manage to erase all of the other's memories?"

Before Jack could offer an explanation, Danny chimed in. "What are you doing here?"

"I followed you. I figured something strange was going on." She glanced at Jack. "Granted I didn't think it would be this strange. Do you think he could explain how Zack heard me with his mind?"

Jack's face grew puzzled. "His mind?"

"Sam thinks she is a psychic or something."

Jack chuckled. "Really?" He glared at the girl. "There is something. Follow me!" He sat her down in a chair. He walked over to a metal chest and pulled out a device from it. It was a handle with a large box attached to it. Two glowing wands were attached to the top of the box. Jack held the device towards her. The wands blinked rapidly and a loud beeping sound could be heard. "I see."

Danny looked at the small screen on the device. "What?"

"She has been saturated with spiritual energy. No doubt from that ecto bomb at your old school. Just like the boy from earlier. It seems to be reacting with some parts of her mind human's don't normally use." He shut the device off. "I wouldn't say you're a psychic, more like an empathic. You can read emotions and sending messages to others is also not out of the question. But you would need to be very close to the person personally in order for them to understand the message."

"But I barely know the guy."

"Ghostly energy, especially in such large amounts is highly unstable. Who knows what it could have done. Anyone caught in that explosion, even just on the outskirts has been flooded with ghostly energy."

Danny sat down. "So is that what happened?"

Jack nodded. "Yes. The ghost possessed the boy at school and absorbed the energy. He grew more powerful because of it." Jack scratched his chin. "My main concern are the ones that were closer to the center of the explosion. It is impossible to tell what it could have done to them." He reached into his jacket and pulled out his watch. "You two better get home. I need to talk to the boss about this. See how much information he can give me."

* * *

**Plasmus' Throne Room**

A large eye the size of car tire floated in front of the throne. Plasmus watched the image of a warehouse that was shone in the center of the eye. "Why can't your eye enter the building?"

"A strange energy barrier has formed around it." The voice issued from the eye. "No ghost can enter." The image flickered and showed a blacked out window. "Even the windows block my sight."

Plasmus waved the eye off. "Just keep watch, Eyevar. I want to know the instant the boy leaves the building."

The eye began to float away. "As you wish my lord."

"Lord Plasmus!" Red walked up to the throne and bowed. "Technus reports that Skulker will be fixed within the week. The girl is ready, I need a subject for the memory change."

"Just leave it a haze for now. We can dangle the image of her assailant in front of her later if need be."

"Most wise. My spies have located the two artifacts you have inquired about. One is actually in the Amity Park Museum. The second is located in Walker's Prison Complex in The Ghost Zone."

"Where?"

Red gulped slightly. "His office. I think he knows its true purpose."

Plasmus did his best to hide his disappointment. "Perfect. Less than a month to break into the most secured area in the entire Ghost Zone. Any other good news?"

"No my lord."

"Then go, I must plan."

* * *

Danny walked Sam towards the outskirts of town, where the richly neighborhood was. Most of the houses here were two plus stories in height and surrounded by a stonewall. "You live here?"

Sam smiled weakly. "Kind of."

"Service?"

Sam shook her head. "I'm kind of rich!" She pointed to the biggest house at the end of the street. "I live there."

Danny's jaw dropped. "You live there and go to public school."

"Got kicked out of a lot of prep schools. I hate those stuck up rich types."

Before Danny could say something else, a man on a motorcycle drove up and grabbed Sam as he went past. He tossed her across the bike's gas tank and sped up.

"Sam! Going Ghost!" Danny transformed. He floated up and shot after them.

The shock finally left the Goth girl long enough to find her nose just inches from the fast moving street. She started to freak out before she realized she wasn't falling. Sam turned her head and spotted the driver of the cycle. He was in his early twenties with long blond hair. He wore very dirty biker clothes with a grey trench coat.

"What are you doing?"

The man glanced down and grinned with dirty teeth. "I was going to snatch your purse, but you don't have one. So this was the next best thing." A green light shot past and crashed into a pile of garbage cans that the bike drove past. The man looked around and shrugged. "After I get to a safe place, I toss you off, take your money, and drive off. Simple?"

"Except one thing." Sam elbowed him in the knee.

The man yelled as he almost lost control of the bike. "Hey chill. You want us to crash?"

Sam glanced down at the moving street and rethought her struggle. The biker found a small indent in a building line where dumpsters were kept. He stopped and tossed Sam to the ground. He jumped off his bike. "Ok kitten." He held out his hand. "Money!"

"Forget it!"

The biker sighed. "No one says no to Johnny 13." He pulled out a switchblade knife. "I'll give you one more chance."

Sam bent down into a martial art stance. "Give it your best shot." Before Johnny could make a move, a green light shot past him and smashed into Sam. The light turned into a teenager and both of them fell to the ground. Sam shoved Danny off of her. "What are you doing?"

Danny rubbed his head. "Trying to tackle him."

"You missed."

"I just learned this today."

The two started an argument, completely forgetting the armed biker standing a few feet away. Johnny stood dumbfounded for a minute as he tried to figure out what was going on. He walked over to his bike and pulled out an old revolver from his bike's saddle bag. He fired a round into the ground and the teens stopped.

"Could I just please rob you? All I want is your money."

Both of the teens stood up. Sam held up her hands. "Alright, don't lose it." She reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out her wallet. "Here!" She tossed it at his feet.

"Why was that so hard?" Johnny pocketed his gun in his jacket and bent down to pick up the wallet. Danny charged and rammed his fist into Johnny's face. It did little. The biker frowned and returned the punch with much more force. Danny cringed and his body turned intangible. Johnny's fist flew thought Danny's head. He was unbalanced and fell down. He jumped to his feet. "What is this?" He swung at Danny again and the fist pasted through Danny's body.

Danny started to laugh. "Not so tough now." His body solidified as Johnny rammed his fist into his gut. "Ouch!"

Johnny grabbed the collar of Danny's suit. "Your going to be in a world of hurt punk."

"Let him go!" Sam leapt onto Johnny and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Stupid punks!" Johnny let go of Danny and stumbled back towards the building and smashed Sam against the brick wall. The girl bit down her yell and squeezed tighter. Johnny's eyes flashed red and dark light wrapped around his body. With a burst of strength he grabbed her arms and pulled her off of his back. He flung her into Danny who was coming to help. Danny returned to his human form as he and Sam hit the ground. Johnny yelled a dark yell. "Now I am really mad." He pulled out his gun. "You punks will learn not to mess with me." A bright light shined into his eyes.

A cop car had pulled up during the fight. Two cops jumped out and drew their weapons. "Drop it!" The biker dropped his gun and held his hands up.

Danny helped Sam up as the cops shoved Johnny into their squad car. "You alright?"

She shook her head. "My back feels like it is on fire. Sorry about my boot hitting your face."

Danny shrugged. "I'll be fine. I'm a lot tougher in this form."

"Good for you."

"Sorry!"

One of the cops walked up. "How you kids holding up?"

"Bad question." Sam leaned on Danny for support.

He nodded. "I've called for another car while my partner takes that scum to the station. We'll take you home."

Danny nodded. "Thank you."

* * *

**Several Hours Later**

Johnny drummed his fingers on the table in the integration as he waited for his public defender. The door opens and an extremely pale man in a red suit walked into the room.

"You look expensive!"

The man smiled and removed his hat. "My name is Red. My master has a job opportunity for you." He sat down. "I will secure your release, the release of your girl friend from juvenile hall, and provide you with a six figure income in exchange for a few tasks he needs done."

Johnny smiled. "What do you have in mind?"

* * *

**Ultimate Profile**

Eyevar

A unique mutant ghost that appeared in The Ghost Zone several years ago. Composed of hundreds of ghostly eyes of various sizes that make up a humanoid form. He is able to split up his body and can control them for hundreds of miles. He can see through all of them and hear through the larger ones. His main core is a large eye that usually hides in the center of his form. When split, his central eye can show the images and sounds the smaller eyes pick up. Plasmus added him to his ranks as a spy and informant.


	17. Johnny 13

Johnny couldn't helped but be impressed by his surroundings. The hallway that Red led him down was enormous. The walls curved upward and appeared to be made of marble. He walk along a rich red carpet and crystal chandlers provided the light from above. He was beginning to wonder why anyone with this much money wanted him. The pair came to a large pair of wooden doors. There were no handles nor hinges he could see. Before he could ask, Red knocked on the door tree times. Silently, the doors swung open.

"Fancy!"

Red smiled. "The master is all powerful with unlimited resources. He simply surrounds himself with what reflects it the best." He waved his hand at the hall they just walked down. "For example, this corridor is for new recruits only."

"WHAT?" Johnny looked back at the way we came. "All this for only a one way trip."

"Again, unlimited resources. You should see the areas we will frequent more than once." He motioned forward. "Come! The master awaits."

They walked into a huge domed room. Again made of marble, that curved a good sixty feet above. A single chandler hung from the center of the dome. It seemed to be made of thousands of tiny crystals. The floor was all blue tile with a long red carpet leading to an elaborate gold throne. A man sat on throne. He wore all white with a black cape. His skin was blue and hair black. His eyes shined with red light as Red and Johnny approached.

"Ah, my new recruit has finally arrived." Plasmus stood up and walked down the three steps that led up to his throne. "I hope you found the trip comfortable."

Johnny shrugged. "Walked into a portal and then I'm here. Pretty cool."

"Just the tip of the iceberg."

"So what do you want with me?"

Plasmus put his hand on Johnny's shoulder. "You have unique talents my boy. Talents that I can use and help you develop." He walked him across the throne room, towards another door. "Despite all this, my organization must remain a secret for now. I need people I can trust to further my goals, without exposing my much large plan." The door opened on its own and they walked into a small hallway. "You already have a reputation as a thief and general thug." He patted Johnny's shoulder as he got a dirty look. "Don't be like that. We can use this. I have much interest in Amity Park. You can do things there for me and it won't arouse any suspicions."

"I heard something about six figures."

"Do all the tasks that I require and you will never have to worry about money again." They stopped in front of a door. "This is the barrack section. You are the first of what I hope to be a large army."

"And Kitty?"

Plasmus opened the door. A girl with green spiky hair stood on the other side. "Getting her out juvenile hall was simple. You first job is tomorrow, so enjoy the night." He left the two and reentered the throne room.

Red bowed. "Are you sure about those two?" He produced a clipboard. "Johnny Thurgen. Twenty seven years old. He has a long record of petty theft and disorderly conduct." He flipped the page. "Kitty, real name Kate Rullen. Sixteen years old. She has been arrested on numerous occasions for drug possession." He looked to his master. "A thug and a drug addict. Not exactly the cream of the crop."

"Every chess board needs pawns." Plasmus sat down on his throne. "Both he and the girl will serve their purpose."

A beeping sound filled the throne room. A hologram of Maddie Fenton appeared in front of him. "The big tub of lard is calling."

"Oh joy!" Plasmus snapped his fingers and a large computer console rose up in front of him. He changed back into Vlad. He put on his best fake smile and turned on the console. Jack's face appeared on the screen.

"Hey Vladdy!"

"Yes Jack?"

"Got something interesting for you." The screen changed and showed a computer image of a large vehicle. Vlad nearly stood up as he read the list of functions it had. "So what do you think?"

"I'll be there tomorrow. I must see these blueprints."

"You got it Vladdy!" The screen went dark and the console retracted into the floor.

Vlad laughed. "Call Technus! That oaf Jack has given me the means to break into the ghost prison."

* * *

It was looking to be a long day. Normally a fieldtrip was considered a godsend to any average high school student. But the thought of a two hour lecture at the museum almost made algebra seem fun. The two busses stopped in front of the large stone steps that led up to the huge museum. Vice Principle Lancer was the first off the bus. He quickly produced a clip board and a whistle. With a quick whistle, the students filed out of the buses. Under the direction of Lancer, the sixty students got into groups of ten. Danny was happy that his friend Tucker had been put into his group, but so had Dash and his side kick Kwan. Sam waved at him from the group next to his. He waved back. Dash saw this exchange and laughed.

"So the Fentoad got himself a nerdy girlfriend." He put Danny in a head lock. "Just when you thought there was hope that geeks wouldn't breed."

"Let me go!" Danny struggled to left Dash's arm from his neck.

"What?" Dash squeezed harder. "Speak up!"

Kwan chuckled. "I think he said to squeeze harder."

"That sounds about right."

"Is there a problem here?" Dash quick released Danny upon hearing Lancer's voice.

"No sir!" Dash threw his arm around Danny's shoulder and smiled. "Just a little male bonding."

Lancer's eyebrow raised, but he said nothing more about it. He walked towards the steps. "Alright!" His voice quickly quieted the other students. "Lets try to actually learn something on this trip today. I don't want any monkey business here. I really don't want this to turn out like the firework factory visit."

A student yell out. "At least your eyebrow grew back."

Lancer zeroed in on him. "Roberson! Detention!" He walked into the museums and the groups followed.

* * *

In the ancient arms area of the museum, Johnny 13 stood in front of a large display case full of old rings. He stared at the ring he had been told to snatch with a skeptical look on his face. The ring in question was made of with a green metal that looked like it had been painted with rust. The design on the larger part of the ring was lost to scratches.

"Are you sure this is the right one?"

"Be quiet!"

The response came from the invisible eyeball that was floating next to Johnny's ear. Apparently to Johnny, each of Eyevar's many eyes could mimic his ghostly powers. This particular eye could phase through solid objects and turn invisible. It annoyed Johnny that he had to work with this thing. It was freaking him out. Plus the stupid thing thought it was the boss.

"Red has confirmed it is the item we seek."

"So what is the plan?" Despite his annoyance, Johnny lowered his voice to a whisper.

"Simple. My eye will phase through the case and under the ring. It will then lift the ring up and through the case. You palm it and finish the tour. With none the wiser."

"Wouldn't night time be a better time to do this? You know, with out the guards and the guns."

"No you fool! Your powers are not ghostly based. We cannot have you setting of an alarm. This way it will be hours before anyone finds out it is gone and days before they even begin to figure out what happened."

"I don't have to actually touch your eye, do I?"

The eye sighed. "No."

"Good."

The eye floated through the display case and positioned itself under the ring. It floated up slowly and gently pushed the ring upward. The eye extended its powers and the ring turned nearly transparent. As the ring exited the case, Johnny yawned and stretched out his arms in front of him. He quickly grabbed the ring and stretched one more time to hid the motion. No one seemed to notice. As he was about to pocket the ring, a familiar voice yelled out to him.

"Put it back!"

Johnny turned and spotted the kid that had gotten him arrested yesterday. The same white hair and glowing green eyes. "Punk!"

Danny for his part, spotted Johnny as his group passed through the area. He ran to the bathroom and transformed. Granted his plan ended there. He did his best to summon his courage. "I saw how you got that ring. Put it back or else." Despite his best efforts his voice grew weaker at the end of his threat.

"Just try it."

"No you fool!" The eyeball appeared and floated in front of Johnny's eyes. "We have the ring. Run, I shall distract the boy."

Johnny laughed. "What can you do?"

The eyeball glowed green and spun around so it faced Danny. A green beam of energy shot from it. Danny jumped to avoid the blast. Johnny stopped laughing and gulped slightly. The eyeball turned back towards him. "Go!"

Not needing anymore convincing, he took off in a run. Danny floated off the ground and shot at him. The eyeball fired again, but missed. The teen crashed into the biker and both tumbled onto the ground. The ring fell from Johnny's grasp. Danny was the quickest to his feet and grabbed the ring. He looked at the rusted piece of metal in his hand. He failed to see why they wanted it.

"Give it back!" Johnny slowly rose to his feet. Dark energy began to spark from his body. The floating eyeball floated nearby, ready to strike.

Seeing only one good way to keep the ring safe, he slid the ring on his right ring finger. The ring sparked with light and the rust vanished. The once scratched out symbol on the ring gleamed like it was new. The symbol was that of a skull with ruby eyes. Red energy arched from the ring and covered Danny's body. He yelled out as his eyes changed to red. The energy vanished and he stood with an evil looking smile on his face.

"Punk?" Johnny took a cautious step back.

"Sorry!" Danny ran his hand through his hair. "I'll be your tormentor for the remainder of your existence." He looked at his watch. "All five seconds of it." He laughed with a laugh so dark, it sent chills down Johnny's spine.


	18. Battle at the Museum

**Author Note**:Sorry for the wait. Thank you for reading.

* * *

Elsewhere, Sam's group was in the portrait section of the museum. As she was listening to the tour guide, a sudden pain filled the back of her head. She dropped to her knees as the pain intensified. The world around her went black and the pain suddenly vanished. She looked around and found herself in a torn apart wasteland that had once been a city of some kind. Sam tried to move but found her legs frozen in the position they were in. A figure appeared in front of her. It was humanoid and covered in a long black cloak. A hood hid its face and much to her fears, it held a large metal scythe in one black gloved hand. Three shadows of other robed figures flicked behind it. Sam started to speak, but another pain filled her mind as the area around her shifted into a stream of bright colors. She was now kneeling on a small rock that was floating in some kind of space. Floating Rubble and dark clouds were spread out before her. Directly in front of her was a dark mass of shadows with red energy shooting from it. She could see an armored figure floating within the shadow mass. The pain exploded in her mind and she screamed out. Just as suddenly, she was back in the museum where she promptly collapsed onto the floor.

* * *

Danny cracked his knuckles as his red eyes darted from Johnny and the floating eyeball. "Your move!" The eye glowed and fired a green beam. A sphere of red energy appeared around Danny and the attacks dissipated when they hit it. Danny chuckled as the sphere vanished. "My turn!" He took a deep breath and let out a yell. The yell was deep and a red shockwave shot from his mouth. The wave shattered the harden glass cases in its path. It hit both Johnny and the eyeball hard. The eye exploded and Johnny crashed into a set of Japanese samurai armor. Danny stopped his yell and wiped some drool from his mouth. He looked at the ring and patted it. "Nice!" Danny waited for Johnny to pull himself up. All around them, alarms sounded and shouting of people trying to escape. "What now biker boy?"

Johnny grabbed the katana from the armor. "I'll slice you down the middle." He charged Danny with the sword held high.

"Spare me!" Danny ducked the swing and rammed his palm into his chest. Johnny felt like he had just been hit by a car and dropped to the floor. Danny jumped and landed on top of him. His hand turned transparent he shoved it into Johnny's skull. "I've always wondered what would happen when I solidified my hand in someone's head. Want to find out?"

"Get off me punk."

"I didn't hear a no." Before he could carry out the deed, a large red eyeball about the size of a basketball appeared in front of his face. It was glowing with energy. "Crap!" A bolt of energy fired from the eye and blasted Danny across the room. He crashed into a stone statue which shattered on his impact with it.

"You insolent little brat." The eyeball fired another blast that blasted a hole near Danny. "You destroyed one of my precious eyes. You will suffer a thousand pains for your mistake."

Danny laughed as he pushed himself up. "A thousand for just one little eye." His right hand exploded with crimson energy. "Can't wait to find out what that big eye is worth."

"Stupid child!" The eye fired another bolt of energy.

"Child?" Danny vanished into the floor as the energy bolt destroyed the wall section behind him. He rose up out of the floor. "I'm a teenager on a power trip." He slammed his right fist into the eye. There was a high pitched scream and the eye exploded in a burst of red energy. Danny laughed and looked around. "Is there another one?" He shrugged and looked down at Johnny. "Guess it is just you and me. Now back to that little experiment." He took a step towards the biker and vanished.

Not one to question good fortune nor ignore the sound of sirens outside, Johnny took off in a heated run.

* * *

Danny woke up to the feeling of slamming into a wooden floor of the warehouse. He rolled over to find a very angry Jack Sparrow standing over him. Danny rubbed his eyes. "What happened?"

"You just did the stupidest thing I have ever seen." He held up the ring Danny had put on at the museum. It gleamed in the light. "What have I told you about using Spectral Artifacts you don't know anything about?"

"Jack?"

"What!"

"What is a Spectral Artifact?"

Jack stopped in a mid yell and gave Danny a puzzled look. "Didn't I tell you about them."

Danny shook his head.

Jack smiled. "Well then, good as time as any." He pulled Danny to his feet. "To the book then."

Danny marveled how Jack's mood shifted so quickly as Jack pulled out Toben's Spirit Guide. "What is going on? First I am at the museum and now here."

"You ask a lot of questions, mate. Good, but a little annoying." He opened the book. "Short story, you put on this ring and went nuts." Jack examined the ring. "This is definitely an artifact." He set it down and flipped through a few pages. "Spectral Artifacts are very powerful item that were crated from the left over power from when The Ghost Zone was created. Each one drastically increases a ghost's power."

"You think that is what made me crazy."

"Possibly. Each item has its own unique properties. Have a few my self."

"Really?"

Jack chuckled. "Clockwork invested a lot of time and energy training me, but sometimes it is all in what you own. Because I channel pure spiritual energy, I can benefit from them." He pulled out a gold pocket watch that was attached to his belt buy a green chain. "This artifact was crafted by the ghost of time himself. It is called The Chronokeeper. It is what allows me to control time." He put the watch back into his pocket. "As you get better with your powers, I'll show you my others." He looked at the book and frowned. "That isn't good."

"What?"

He picked up the ring. "This is called The Ring of Rage. Its power grows as your anger rises, but the book says nothing of changing a personality so drastically." He closed the book. "And the book is never wrong."

Danny gulped slightly. "What does that mean?"

"Don't know yet." Jack's body shifted slightly and his face had a much more concern look on it. "We have a problem."

Danny looked around. "What?"

Jack walked to a small TV in the corner of the warehouse. "I've just had a five hour long lecture from Clockwork. Thing just got complicated." He turned the TV on. It was the news a woman in a red jacket was standing in front of the Amity Park Museum. Police cars had surround it.

"As of now, there are no explanations for the terrible attack that has taken place just a few minutes ago." An image of Johnny and Danny in his ghost form appeared on the screen. "Police are now looking for these two who are believed to have caused the destruction of public property and the theft of several valuable artifacts. The first one is a known petty thief known on the streets as Johnny 13. The second one is an unknown, but witnesses claimed that he could disappear and reappear at will. They have labeled him as Invso Bill. Reports of floating eyeballs have been dismissed as hysterical delusions."

Danny shut the TV off. "Invso Bill. What kind of name is that?"

"A really dumb one."

"And what do they mean buy several artifacts. That ring should be it." He glanced at Jack who simply smiled.

"Couldn't resist mate." He shut the TV off. "This was certainty not the way I wanted to introduce you to the world."

"Can't you go back in time and stop this?"

"Against the rules. We screwed up and must now deal with consequences. I can manipulate the evidence so that it points to Johnny 13, for the thefts at least. The public destruction we're out of luck." He motioned towards a small cot that laid nearby. "My main concern is what happened to you. Clockwork was amazingly mum about it."

Danny laid down. "What are you going to do?"

"Simple hypnoses with an added twist."

"How you going to hypnotize me?"

Jack's main finger on his right hand glowed with blue light. He tapped Danny right between the eyes. The teen's eyes shut. "That way." Jack slid a small wooden box out from underneath the cot. He rummaged through it and pulled out a pair of smooth flat stones. He set one down on Danny's forehead. It shined with purple light. "Now to see what is troubling you." Jack sat down on the floor next to the cot in the cross-legged position. He placed his stone on his forehead. It stayed in place and shined with green light. He lost himself to the trance.

* * *

Johnny struggled as Skulker and Red held him down on his knees. Eyevar gripped his head and forced him to look up at Plasmus. The ghost glared at the biker from his throne. His fingers in the pyramid position and his eyes glowing red. He had made Johnny wait for almost ten minutes before speaking.

"A simple job. A pathetically simple job." He tapped a few buttons on his throne. A screen appeared next to him, hovering in the air. The latest invention from Technus. It showed the security video of Johnny standing in front of the case. He paused it when Danny appeared. "You had the ring. But then you lost it to a simple boy."

"He had power. Much more power than you said he had."

"Or maybe you are a bigger loser than I originally thought. I gave you the opportunity to be something much greater than you are now. But you blew it." He pressed another button on his chair. Two muscular looking ghosts flew into the throne room. "But I am sure this can be salvaged." The ghosts took the biker from Skulker and Red. "I have a new experiment that you and your girlfriend will be perfect for. If you two survive, you will serve me well. If not, there are plenty more like you."

"Damn you Plasmus! You'll pay for this."

"I highly doubt it." With a wave of his hand, the ghosts carried Johnny out of the room. "Now to the business at hand." He fast forward the tape to the instant Danny vanished. "What happened to you?" He paused the tape and ran it back frame by frame.

"There!" Red walked up and pointed to the frozen image. It showed a blurry image of a man with what looked like a pirate hat on. "Jack Sparrow!"

Plasmus gave his advisor a puzzled look. "That pirate from that crappie Disney movie?"

"Yes. He is as real as you or me. Worst he is The Agent of Time."

"The what?"

"A myth!" Skulker crossed his arms. "I think your advisor has lost it."

"Don't question my knowledge you metal plated moron." Red's eyes flashed in anger. "He is real and he humiliated me over a century ago."

Plasmus leaned forward. "What happened?"

"I hooked up with the ghost of an ancient Chinese warlord who was carving out a large territory for himself in The Ghost Zone. He was doing fine until he tried to travel back in time to prevent his death. He found a portal with some temporal properties and began to play with. That is when Sparrow appeared. He was all quips and jokes, but he took us out like we were nothing. All through out the fight, he knew just were to step to avoid out attacks. He ran the warlord through and destroyed him. As for me, I was knocked into the portal and was trapped in a less than pleasant dimension for decades before I managed to escape."

Plasmus glanced at the screen. "So what does an immortal pirate want with young Daniel?"

"I don't know. Sparrow is only suppose to appear when some fool tries to mess with the time stream. Something is going on."

"No doubt the reason that Danny has not accepted my offer to join me. No choice but to remove this Jack." Plasmus chuckled. "What is it about people named Jack who make my life so hard?"

"No my lord! He is an idiot, but powerful. All through out my fight with him, I had a sense of familiarity. Like I had done it all before, but different. I think that he can stop and reverse time. You can't fight him. At least not directly."

"Very well." Plasmus stood up. "Eyevar well keep the boy under surveillance. The lost of the ring shouldn't disrupt my plans. Skulker!"

"Sir!"

"Bring me a pack of wild ghost wolves. I want to see if Jack will interfere when I release them on the city."

"At once!" Skulker turned and left.

"Red!"

"My lord!"

"Technus has expressed an interest in the lab that has opened up on the outskirts of Amity Park. Take him there."

"As you command." Red vanished.

"Things are deviating from my carefully placed path. Time is to short to allow anymore mistakes. I must regain control."

**

* * *

**

Ultimate Profiles

The Embers

Amber McClain: Lead Singer and Guitarist

Founder of the band, Amber lost her mother to cancer when she was only thirteen. Her dad became lost in grief and was unable to truly help her through the trying times. Lost and feeling alone, she began to question whether or not life was worth living. Eventually she met Zack and the others who helped her through the tough years. Forming a family bond, she organized the small group into a band and vowed never to feel lost or alone again.

Zack: Bass Player

The oldest member of the band. Like Amber, he lost part his family young. Both his parents died in a drunk driving accident when he was fifteen. Shunning his relatives wanting him only for the insurance money and the lawsuit from the accident, he convinced the courts that he could live by himself in his parent's house. Solitude nearly drove him mad, but by aiding Amber through her pain of loss, he filled the void in his life and found himself with an extended family that helped him recover and move on.

Derrick: Keyboard Player

Abandoned at an young age, Derrick was bounced from foster home to foster home for the better part of eight years. Finally being adopted by a well off family in Amity Park. Despite their best efforts, he never really connected with his new family, he rebelled in various ways. Low level shoplifting and a small run in with some drug addicts nearly set him down a path of self destruction. His view on the world shifted when he met Amber and her friends. Despite the lost they had experienced, they had managed to hold it together. Feeling a connection he joined them and finally started to turn his life around.

Rachel: Drummer

A long time of friend of Amber. Slightly different from the rest of the group, she hadn't experienced anything overtly traumatic in her life. She was initially shut out by Amber for not being able to truly understand what she was going through. Not giving up, she teamed up with Zack who Amber did talk to and managed to get close to her friend again. With things finally smoothed out and with Derrick added to the mix, Rachel provides a stabilizing element to the group and keeps the focus of everyone positive.


	19. Battle of Wills

Jack Sparrow found himself standing in the middle of a darker version of Amity Park. The buildings were shrouded in shadows and the only light was a full moon in the dark sky overhead. Jack looked around and sighed.

"I'm sure I am expected to wander around this lovely mentally created place, but I really do need to keep things moving along." Jack held out his hand and a sphere of swirling blue energy appeared in it. "Got to remind myself to thank Clockwork for having me train with some of the most powerful psychics the timeline had to offer."

He slammed the sphere into the ground and the swirling energies engulfed the surroundings. The buildings melted away and the sky faded until nothing but white nothingness remained. Danny in his ghost form stood in front of Jack. He looked around puzzled.

"What happened?"

"Rather than sort out the nearly endless aspects of your personality, I created a sphere of mental energy that automatically sorted all that mess out and here you are."

"Mess?"

"Teenager mate. Heaven only knows what goes through this head of yours. Besides, found out what caused your little crazy episode."

"Great! What was it?"

Jack sighed and motioned his thumb over his shoulder. "Him!"

Danny glanced around Jack and spotted a mirror version of himself. The only difference was that the colors of his costume were inverted. "What is that?"

His copy smirked. "This is Dan! I've always been here."

Danny glanced nervously at Jack. The pirate sighed. "Everyone who has had difficulties in their life tend to form this little bundle of thoughts deep in the back of their minds. Thoughts of revenge against those who had wronged them. Secret resentments and the such."

"Then why doesn't everyone have this problem?"

"Ghostly energy is the very life of ghosts. It takes a strong will to form that energy into something usable. When your DNA was infused, he was given form and life. This is a problem."

Danny gulped. "How so?"

"There is only one body. One of you is going to have to step aside for the other."

"That will be me!" Dan stepped forward. "I am clearly the better choice. I have the will and the desire to use my powers. I am much better prepared for this Great Disaster that is coming. You have any idea how long it would take to train this wimp?"

"Hey!" Danny stepped forward. "This is my body and my powers."

"Was! The moment I was given life, it became mine. Your life is pathetic. With in a week, I will be the most popular kid in school. I'll have the best grades." Dan chuckled. "I'll have Paullina. If your luckily, I let you watch."

"You'd use my powers to cheat."

"Well duh. Why work hard? I make my personal life easy to make more time for training. Jack, you have to see I am the better choice."

"I see, mate. But this is between you two."

"Us two?" Danny glanced back from Jack to Dan and realized the two were practically nose to nose.

Dan chuckled and slammed his fists into Danny's chest. Danny flew and crashed to the ground next to Jack. "I can live with that."

Jack gave the downed Danny a thumbs up. "I rooting for you, mate." He quickly moved away.

Danny pushed himself up. "Don't suppose we could talk about this?"

Dan shot forward and knocked Danny back down with an uppercut. "Not really." He reached down and grabbed Danny's hair. He pulled the teen up to his feet. "Its my time!"

* * *

Despite all that had transpired at the warehouse, only a about ten minutes had passed. Sam was being loaded onto a stretcher. She was barely conscious of what was going on around her. Her mind was swirling with images she couldn't understand. In the back of her head, she heard a small voice cry for help. "Danny!" She slipped into unconscious.

* * *

Sam felt like she was floating on air before landing roughly on what felt like grass. She sat up and opened her eyes. She had landed in a grassy field. It was nighttime and the sky was full of stars. However, instead of a moon there was a giant pale green clock in the sky. "Where am I?" She rubbed her head. "And what hit me?"

"You had a mental overload." Sam her head and saw a green ghost in a blue cape floating nearby. "Your brain shutdown to prevent any damage to it. A coma to put it simply."

Sam stood up. "I'm in a coma!" She shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense. Who are you?"

"I am Clockwork! Your coma is temporary. Just long enough for your mind to recover."

"Your Jack's boss. The ghost of time."

"I am the guardian and protector of all that was, is, and will ever be. Normally I would have left this to him, but he is currently occupied."

"That is quite the title. So what happened to me?"

"The cycle has been broken. What should have been your daughter's has become yours."

Sam's jaw dropped. "My what?"

Clockwork's eyes narrowed. "Normally I never tell anyone about their future, but events have been drastically altered. Your are a descendent of a group of women known as The Oracles. Every five generations, their powers would manifest in a young woman. The ghost energy explosion infused you with spectral energy and activated what should have remained dormant.

"Is that what hit me?"

"Yes. The power is only suppose to activate when the mind full develops around the age of eighteen."

"How much can the brain change in two years?"

"You'd be amazed." He held our his hand and a black bracelet appeared in the air. "I crafted this to surprises your abilities. When you reach the proper age, you should be able to handle it with the proper training."

"Training?"

"You will need to learn how to focus your mind. Oracles have the abilities to see the immediate future and glimpse the distant. Plus they can communicate across vast distances with telepathy. They are the perfect tacticians. Now, so are you."

Sam took the bracelet. It had a small skull on it with red jeweled eyes. A complex web pattern was engraved around it. "Well, you have good taste."

Clockwork smiled. "I glimpsed ahead and saw the design you would have preferred." His eyes flashed and Clockwork frowned. "While you recover, I need your assistance."

"Sure."

"Danny is currently locked in a battle of wills. I am afraid he is losing."

"Danny! How can I help?"

"Reach out with your mind. Feel his thoughts."

Sam closed her eyes and concentrated. She vanished.

Clockwork chuckled. "Her mind is more disciplined than I thought. If what I fear comes to pass, she will be a valuable ally to the boy.

* * *

Sam appeared in between the two teens. She looked at Dan and then Jack. "What's going on?" Jack pointed behind her. Sam turned and spotted the downed Danny. "Danny!" She helped him to his feet. "Are you alright?"

Danny coughed. "I'm fighting for control of my mind." Danny pointed to Dan. "Sam, meet my evil half."

Dan bowed. "I am hardly evil, jut more assertive." He rubbed his chin. "You and I should get to know one another after I give this looser the boot."

"You leave him alone. He may not be very strong or brave. But he has a good heart."

"Thanks Sam. I think."

Dan sighed. "Your lost." Dan threw out his hands and red beams of energy shot from them.

"Look out!" Danny pushed Sam aside and threw out green beams of his own. The beams struck each other and struggled to over come their opponents. Both teen braced themselves as the beams continued to flow.

"Give it up. I've got the greater will here." Dan's beams grew more intense. "I will obliterate you from existence."

Danny dropped to a knee. His beams slowly dwindling. Sam wrapped her arms around his neck. "Concentrate Danny. I know you can do this." Purple energy flowed from her arms and into Danny's. His beams doubled in size.

Dan backed away as his beams were slowly being overwhelmed. "No! This isn't fair. It was my time."

"Get out of my head." Danny's beams exploded with power and washed over Dan. He fell to his knees. Smoke rose up from Dan's body. Sam helped Danny up. "Thanks Sam."

"You did it yourself. I just gave you some confidence."

"Do you think I will this cheat?" Dan pushed himself up. "I will rule." He began to move, but a blue box of energy formed around him.

Jack stepped forward. "I afraid I can't let you do that. You lost."

"You won't be rid of me."

"True enough. But for now." The box collapsed and winked out of existence.

Danny stared at the spot where Dan had been. "What happened to him?"

"Sealed. Back to the far corner of your mind." Jack patted him on the shoulder. "Should be quiet until your ready to face him." Jack glanced at Sam. "Good timing, love."

"Clockwork helped."

"Really?" Jack laughed. "Old boy is becoming more like me every minute." Jack clapped his hands. "Alright! We can continue this later, but it is time for everyone to return to their proper place or mind. Time was slowed here, but soon people will start asking questions. Danny, you wake up in one of the restrooms in the museum. Pretend to have been scared."

"Not hard."

"Excellent! Meet back at the warehouse tomorrow. Things are getting very interesting."


	20. Wolves

Jack wasn't kidding about things getting interesting. The next morning the mayor of Amity Park called a huge press conference at the steps of the museum. Jack dragged the family out of bed so they could attend. The mayor who was a slightly heavy set man had to have a stepstool set up so his head could reach over the podium. He tapped the group of microphones attached to the podium. A loud tapping sound issued from the speakers.

"I would like to thank the members of the press and voters who have come out to discuses the grave problem that has plagued our fine city these past couple of days. The explosion at the school and now all of these creature sightings."

"Ghosts!" Jack Fenton yelled at the top of his lungs. Danny tried to hide himself, but stopped when he realized no one was laughing or staring at him.

The mayor sighed. "Yes! Ghosts. For whatever reason, the dead have come back to haunt the living. I have been in a meeting with the city counsel all night and one of our most well known business men has come forward with a solution." He waved his hand to a man sitting behind the podium. "Vlad Masters!"

Vlad smiled and stood up. There was light clapping from the audience as he walked up the podium. He gently kicked the stepstool out of the way and got a small chuckle from the press. "Ladies and gentlemen! For a long time I have known the threats posed by wild ghosts. I have kept my fears secret because most people were to ignorant to understand."

"Go Vlady!"

Vlad ignored Jack. "But now none of you can write off what has happened. We are being invaded. Our homes, our city, our very lives are threatened by this invasion and we must make a stand. Many have cried to flee, but that would only give these vile creatures what they want. So I have suggested and it has been accepted that we begin funding of anti-ghost plans. We need a person who is an expert in this field. A person with the brains and wisdom to stop this threat and safe guard our fair city." Vlad stepped out from behind the podium. "The man who you ridiculed will now be your savor. Jack Fenton!"

"WHAT?" The crowd yelled in unison.

"Yes! Jack, come on up here." Jack quickly pushed himself through the crowd and stepped up next to Vlad. Vlad slapped him on the back. "I will sleep better knowing this fine man will be completely and totally responsible for our safety."

Jack slapped Vlad so hard back, that he nearly fell over. "Thanks Vlady for the confidence. I will not rest until every slimy ghost is shoved right back where they came from."

A howl filled the air. A trio of green wolves leapt out of the ground and landed in the center of the crowd. Their fur glowed a sickly green as their eyes flashed red. Purplish drool dripped from their jaws as they sniffed the crowd. Silently, they all charged at a different person. The people they charged fell down and tried to block their jaws. The snapping teeth phased through their arms and plunged into their chest. A munching sound filled the air as everyone screamed. The wolves glowing intensified and the doubled in size. The rose their drooling heads up and sniffed the air. The people they had attacked had no marks on them, but all had passed out.

Danny edged himself closer to his mother. "What is going on?"

"They seem to be feeding on something, but not the humans themselves." She pulled a small silver pistol-like weapon from her jumpsuit. "You and your sister get to the RV."

Before Danny could protest, Jazz grabbed his arm and pulled him through the fleeing crowd. One of the wolves sniffed in Vlad's direction and roared. It ran at him. Before it could reach the podium, Jack appeared in its path with a huge silver rifle in his hands. "Good thing I keep a Fenton Collapsible Rifle with me at all times." He took aim and fired a green beam of energy. The beam smacked the wolf back several feet. It slid across the ground and flipped to its feet. It growled deeply and the other two wolves joined it. They all growled and slowly approached Jack and Vlad. "Bring it on!"

Vlad sighed and his eyes flashed purple for a second. The wolves yelped as if frightened and vanished into the ground. He smiled and patted the confused Jack on the back. "Good work! I knew you were they right man for the job all these years."

Jack shook his head and smacked his chest. "Right! No ghosts are going to munch on my city while I am around."

Vlad clapped his hands and waved back the scared reporters. "The man who will save our city. Jack Fenton!"

* * *

Vlad sat in his limo and faced a puzzled Red. "I know you have plans with in plans, sir! But why did you just give your nemesis such a boost."

"To set him up for the biggest fall. I will inflate his ego to such a point, that when I plunge my red hot needle of revenge into him." Vlad laughed. "He will never recover. Then Maddie will be mine for the taking."

"Forgive my lack of foresight."

"Think nothing of it. It just proves why I rule. How are my other projects?"

"On schedule!"

"Perfect!"

* * *

Danny rushed to the warehouse as soon as he could get away from his family. "Jack!" His voice echoed through out the building. "JACK!" Still nothing. Danny sighed. "Captain Jack!"

The pirate captain appeared from behind a stone wall. "Yes!"

"Glowing wolves just attacked a group of people."

Jack held up his hands in a helpless gesture. "Can't help you mate. Only suppose to train you and aid you if you get terribly over your head." He pointed to the large book on a nearby table. He smiled and went back behind the wall.

The book in question was Toben's Spirit Guide. Getting the hint, Danny walked over and flipped open the cover. "Book?" The pages started to glow. "Glowing wolves." The light coming from the book shimmered and it flipped through several pages until stopping on a page with a picture of a wolf on it. "That's it." The page flipped once more and the glowing stopped. "Ghostly wolves. Low level ghosts. hunt in packs, and feed off of ghost energy." Danny scratched his head. "That doesn't explain much."

"Big boom!" Jack yelled from behind the wall.

Danny stood puzzled for a minute before it hit him. "The explosion at the school. It saturated everyone in the area with ghostly energy. Their feeding on that." He gulped. "And getting stronger. How do I stop them?"

Jack peaked out from behind the wall. "Bait!" He ducked back as Danny turned back.

"Bait?"

* * *

Danny stood in the middle of a clearing in the park. It was Saturday morning, but the park was deserted. No doubt people were afraid of the wolves. He had ran back home to grab a Fenton Ghost Thermos and net gun. He wasn't wild about this idea, but he hadn't a better idea. Now or never. Going Ghost!" He transformed. He looked around nervously, but nothing. "Need to turn up the juice."

He held up his free hand and fired an energy beam into the sky. It wasn't long before he heard growling behind him. He spun around and spotted one of the wolves. It was at least double its original size. It eyes flashed red and it charged. Danny quickly grabbed the net gun from the strap behind his back. He took aim and fired. A glowing white net shot from it with such force he fell down. The net smacked into the wolf and wrapped around him. The wolf crashed into the ground in front of Danny. The teen jumped back as the wolf snarled against the net. Danny fumbled for the thermos from his belt. He opened the top and aimed it the wolf.

"Not so tough now." He pressed the button on the thermos. Nothing happened. "Oh great." He pressed the button several times. "Why won't you work?" A growl issued behind him. "These things hunt in packs." Danny jumped to the side as another ghost wolf tried to tackle him from behind. It sniffed the trapped wolf and bit down on the net. It yanked on it as it tried to free the other.

Danny stood up and smacked the side of the thermos. "Work!" He noticed the bottom of the thermos twisted slightly. He twisted it and it clicked. A light on the side of the thermos lit up. "Guess I shouldn't have skimmed the manual." He pointed the thermos and a green vortex of light shot from the thermos and enveloped the wolf trying to free the other. It snarled and clawed at the ground as it was sucked in. "Got ya."

"GHOSTS!" Jack and Maddie Fenton ran into the clearing and fired their ghost rifles at Danny and the trapped wolf.

"Crud!" Danny dropped the thermos and flew into the sky. Luckily his parents missed him.

"Dang it! One got a way." Jack picked up the fallen thermos. "And what was that vile thing doing with our equipment."

"I guess we will need to strengthen our security system."

"Right! We'll make our home completely ghost proof."

"Hey its them!" A few reporters with a camera ran up. "We followed you and you have already captured two of the vicious ghosts. Vlad picked the perfect man.

Before Maddie could correct him, Jack struck a pose with his foot on top of the trapped ghost wolf. "Run with it honey." Maddie shrugged and joined her husband for the photo op.

In bushes, the last wolf growled and disappeared.

**

* * *

**

Ultimate Profile

Toben Hellsing

A descendant of a proud vampire hunting clan, who was an utter failure at his family craft. Full of despair he fled his family and stumbled across a natural portal to The Ghost Zone. Seeing a reality full of the creatures never before seen. He spent his life cataloging everything he could. Seeing a part for him to play, Clockwork granted him the power of agelessness and a book of endless pages to due his research. Centuries past and Toben vanished. His book remains as an invaluable guide to The Ghost Zone.


	21. Options

A week past and no sign of the other wolf. Jack Sparrow didn't seemed to be worried and used this time to put Danny through his paces. His mastery of his transformation was improving. Through his phrase, Danny no longer felt the unease that his ghost form once made him felt. He had mastered floating and low speed flight. The pirate captain was proud of the boy's progress, but he had much more ahead of him. He could generate energy beams at will, but their power and his aim left much to be desired. Plus Jack didn't even want to guess on his physical abilities. Jack watched Danny standing in the center of the warehouse. He was breathing heavily and facing a stone wall with several burn marks across on it. Danny held out a shaky fist and fired a green beam of energy. It was dim and vanished before it hit the wall.

"Dang it! I've got to do better." Danny tried again, but the beam was weaker than the last.

"Your exhausting yourself, mate." Jack walked up. "Your drawing to much on your own energy and not enough of the energy around you."

"What?"

"Have you ever noticed a temperature drop when a ghost was around?"

"Slightly. I guess it was cold in The Box Ghost's lair."

"Ghost draw energy from their surroundings to help them manifest a physical form. Heat energy is simplest and most abundant energy around. The more energy absorbed, the colder it gets."

"So how do I draw in this energy?"

Jack checked his watch. "Another day. Go home and rest. You collapsing won't help any of us."

"Right." Danny took a step and fell to the floor.

Jack stared down at him as Danny began to snore. "See, I was right."

* * *

Danny rubbed his eyes and sat up. He was sitting on a floating rock in the middle of The Ghost Zone. The area around him was filled with other floating rocks ranging from pebble sized to a few that were the size of city blocks. He could see nothing but purple haze past the field of rocks.

"Where am I?"

"You are dreaming young one."

Danny turned his head and spotted a blue human ghost in a red suit and hat. "Why can't anybody talk to me in the real world?"

The ghost tipped his hat. "Fear not little one. The power to enter dreams is very rare. Only two ghosts have the power really. Clockwork and me."

"And you are?"

"Red, at your service. I am head advisor to Lord Plasmus."

Danny jumped to his feet. "What do you want? Plasmus is an evil ghost."

Red held hands up. "Did Jack tell you that? Oh the blindness of youth." He vanished and reappeared next to Danny. "What makes him more trust worthy than my lord?"

Danny jumped and floated in the air. "I'm training to stop a great disaster that is coming. To try and be a hero."

"A noble goal. But I am willing to bet that the truth of this disaster has been kept secret from you." Danny said nothing. He didn't need to. Red smiled. "No, he hasn't. All he has done was give you lack lust training. The disaster will be here sooner than even he realizes. He isn't preparing you, he is hampering you." He held his arms out. "My master on the other hand can give you the same skills in a day that Jack can only give you in a year."

"How?"

"Here in this dream world, time is easy to manipulate. Time can be slowed and you can be trained here. Seconds out there can be hours here. Ghost powers are ninety percent mental. In one day I can make you a god among men."

Danny floated down and landed on the rock. "What is The Great Disaster?"

"No one knows for certain. Not even the great Clockwork. But for some reason it is all connected to you. You will face a test and the results will either bring light to the world or plunge it into eternal darkness."

"The world will end?"

"What?" Red shook his head. "No that is something completely different. Eternal darkness will involve suffering for all until the end of time. The end of the world would actually be preferred."

"Your not filling me full of confidence here."

"This is epically important. Unlike Jack I will not spoon feed you. If you fail, the world, the ghost zone, everything will be doomed." Danny gulped. Red patted his head. "Plasmus is willing to talk to you and help you."

"I don't know. Jack is helping me."

"I understand. But when you ready, the offer stands. Plasmus keeps a small base near the outskirts of the city." A business card appeared in his hand. "Take care." He handed Danny the card and vanished.

* * *

Danny woke up and found himself in his room. The business card was in his hand.

* * *

The morning found Danny's mind fighting with the issue. He went through the day like a zombie until he was slapped into the real world, literally. Sam helped him up as he rubbed his sore cheek.

"Awake now?"

Danny nodded. "Was that necessary?"

"Yeah, it kind of was."

Tucker patted his friend on the back. "You been out of it all morning. You alright, man."

"Just a lot on my mind." Danny looked around. They were in front of a large building with tinted windows. "Where are we?"

"Axion labs for a fieldtrip. Tucker's been geeking out about it all day."

"So many things to touch." A bit of drool dripped from his mouth. Both Sam and Danny took a slight step back.

Lancer was in front of the small group of teens with a clipboard and whistle. "Alright! I would like this trip to be better than our fieldtrip to the zoo. If you happen to come across any animals, do NOT let them out of their cages."

Dash raised his hand. "But your possum scratches healed so nicely." A small round of laughing issues from the crowd.

Ignoring it, Lance motions towards a dark-skinned man in a suit. "This is Mr. Gray, director of this facility. Give him the same respect as you do me."

"Don't you mean more?" Kwan chuckled.

Lancer sighed, "Good luck!"

"If I can handle a horde of rampaging of rabid lab mice, I can handle a group of teenagers." He turned and waved. "Hey Valerie, honey! It daddy!" In the small group of popular kids, Valerie shrunk back under the snickers and embarrassment.

"I didn't know Valerie's dad worked here." Tucker eyes glimmered. "I wonder if she is seeing anyone."

"Give it up Tuck!" Danny patted his friend on the shoulder. "She is firmly entrenched with the popular kids."

"Right!"

Mr. Gray led the group of teens through the lobby and into a large computer lab. Sam and Danny had to physically restrain Tucker who nearly lost it when he say the seventy inch LCD screen that was connected to the computers that covered the wall. The students only half listened as Mr. Gray moved them into a greenhouse like room. Plants filled the sides of the walkway.

"This is were we work with plants to create new herbs for medical purposes and try to make produce easier to grow and thus add to the world's food supply."

"Couldn't you just make a bigger pizza?" Again Dash got a round of laughing from the group.

Mr. Gray didn't miss a beat. "Actually we are. Tomatoes for the sauce and grains for the bread dough. Even better grass for the cows that provide the milk for the cheese."

The teens grew silent and even Dash couldn't respond. The tour continued down a large flight of stairs. The passed through two security checkpoints and stopped in a large room with a huge metal cylinder that stood from the floor to the ceiling.

"And this is the crown jewel of our lab. The Neutron Generator! Using a secret new substance, this generator can power the entire lab with clean, safe energy. With more research, we hope to power the entire city."

The lights flickered and went out. A loud laugh filled the room and a human ghost appeared above them. He was dressed in blue robes and grasped a long metal staff in his green hand. He wore black sunglasses and had long white hair. He waved his staff and all the doors sealed shut.

"I am Technus, Lord of all that is electronic. You will bow before me?" A pair of security guards ran up and opened fire with their pistols. The bullets disintegrated against an invisible energy field. "Fools, your mortal weapons cannot harm me." A computer ripped itself off of a desk and smashed into the guards. "You are all my prisoners. You will help me disassemble this generator so I can use it for my own evil purposes." He started to laugh.

Danny looked around. He was trapped in the crowd. "Great. I can't go ghost." Technus just kept laughing.


	22. Technus

With a wave of his power staff, Technus created a cage using the spare electronics in the room to in trap all the people except Mr. Gray. He pushed the man towards the generator. "Now, remove the crystal from inside this reactor."

"How do you know about that? Only a select few know of its existence."

"I guess I am one of the few. Now remove it!"

"Do you have any idea what will happen if that crystal is removed. It will fry every piece of electronic equipment in a ten mile radius." Mr. Gray pleaded. "Hospitals, firehouses, and every other emergency service will be useless until they completely rebuild their electric systems."

Technus gasped. "I had no idea that little crystal was so unstable. To unleash that much negative energy. I never thought about it." Technus chuckled. "Oh wait! I did." He blasted Mr. Gray against the generator. "And I don't care. Now remove the crystal or I will…" Technus paused and scratched his head. "What will I do?" He floated upward lost in his thoughts.

Danny and his friends moved to a corner of the cage while the others watched the ghost mumble to himself. Tucker tapped against the side of the cage. It hummed as if the computers used to construct it still worked. "The ghost got style. Looks familiar to."

"Can we focus?" Sam glanced up at Technus. "He will sort out his thoughts eventually. And you heard what will happen if he removes that crystal."

Danny motioned to the group they were trapped with. "I can't go ghost with all these people watching. We need a distraction."

As the trio tried to come up with a plan, Technus was scrolling through his modified touch phone. "I know I downloaded that evil plot app this morning."

"TECHNUS!"

The loud voice startled the ghost and he dropped the phone. He slowly turned and saw a small floating eyeball floating next to him. "Eyevar! I thought you were Plasmus."

"You techno fool. He is watching and having me relay."

"So?"

"HE IS YELLING AT YOU!"

"Right. So what am I doing wrong?"

"The crystal!"

"But I don't know what to threaten him with."

Eyevar sighed. "His daughter is in the tour group. It was planned this way. It is what evil masterminds do."

"Right!" Technus started to float down, but stopped and went back up. "I thought I was just working for the mastermind."

"Just do your job or the master will shove you into particle accelerator."

"Point taken!" Technus floated down to the floor. Mr. Gray was were he had left him. "Ok, sorry for the wait." He cleared his throat. "Now remove the crystal or.." He held out his hand toward the cage and it opened up at the top. Several computer mice flew into the cage and wrapped around Valerie. She was lifted out of the cage and held next to the generator. "..I will give her the shock of her life with fifty thousand volts."

"Dad! Help!

"You win." Mr. Gray's shoulder slumped in defeat. "I will remove the crystal."

"See how we can work things out."

"Mr. Nicolas!" Tucker scrambled to the front of the cage. "That is you isn't it."

"Foley?" Technus took off his sunglasses and scratched his head. "Tucker Foley!" He grinned. "I can't believe it is you." The cage opened long enough for Tucker to step out. "My best student, I think."

"Are you alright? Why are you doing this?"

"Everything is all fuzzy. Parts of my memory seems to be blurred. I remember teaching, but not much else." He looked around. "As for why, I am afraid I am an evil ghost now."

"But you were the coolest teacher ever." Tucker turned to the group still in the cage. "Right guys." Everyone quickly nodded their heads and agreed. "How about you let them go? They have no value to you."

"Well I am using a lot of my power keeping that cage together. I have the hostage and the guy that will give me the crystal." He waved his staff and the cage flew apart. "Your all free to go and don't forget to spread the story of the might of Technus, the lord of all that is electronic and beeping." The kids and scientist quickly filed out of the room. Danny pealed off to find a secluded area to transform while Sam kept going to call for help.

After they were gone, Technus patted Tucker on the head. "It was great seeing you again, but I do have a job to do." He pointed at Mr. Gray. "Now I believe you were in the middle of removing the crystal or I fry your lovely daughter." Defeated, Mr Gray began to unlock the safeties to the generator.

"Do you really have to do this?"

Technus sighed. "Yes! I must capture that crystal. I don't know why, but it is important."

"Couldn't you find away to do it without frying the city's electrical grid. There wouldn't be any school." Tucker froze for a moment. "I can't believe I said that."

"Well!" Technus waved his power staff and parts and electronics flew around and fused into a rough cylinder. "Place the crystal in this." It floated into Mr. Gray's hands. "It will shield the crystal from the rest of the city." Mr. Gray nodded and continued with his work.

"Thanks teach."

Technus chuckled. "Who am I to deny children their education?" There was a loud crackle of electricity and the room went dark. Emergency lights switched on.

Mr. Gray held up the now glowing cylinder. "Here is the crystal, now let my daughter go."

Technus snatched the cylinder and tapped the bottom of his staff on the floor. Valerie dropped, Mr. Gray ran to her. "Well, now it is time to go. Nice seeing you again, Tucker. Keep up the good work." He started to fly towards the ceiling.

"Hey!" Danny Phantom shot out of the wall and tackled into Technus. Technus crashed into a pile of equipment and the cylinder dropped to the floor. Danny landed and picked it up. "You shouldn't take things that don't belong to you."

"And you shouldn't knock the lord of technology into a pile of computers." Monitors and hard drives floated up from the pile and shot at Danny.

"Oops!" Danny went intangible and the equipment flew through him and smashed into the wall behind. "That was close!"

"And this is spot on." Thick electrical cords shot from the ceiling and cocooned Danny and pulled him up. "You were a fool to fight me in a room full of technology. Now I will crush you."

"Mr. Nicolas!" Tucker ran to the ghost. "You'll crush the crystal."

Technus smacked his forehead. "You right. That would have been bad." He floated up and his hand phased through the cables. He pulled out the cylinder as the cables charged with energy to prevent Danny from trying to escape the same way. "Thanks for the heads up." Technus turned intangible and flew through the ceiling.

"So much for that idea." The cables continued to tighten. Tucker looked around and spotted a large power box with a big red switch that said do not pull. He ran over and pulled the cord. The emergence power cut out and the cables stopped sparking with energy. Danny phased out of the cocoon and dropped to the floor. He took several deep breaths of air.

"Where did he go?"

Tucker sat down. "He got away."

"Figures!"

* * *

A few miles away, Technus flew towards a parked black limo and phased through the roof. He sat down across from Vlad Plasmus and one of Eyevar's floating eyes. He held out the cylinder. "I got what you wanted."

"That you did." Plasmus took the cylinder. "Hardly according to plan thou."

"Sorry sir. I know I didn't follow the plan exactly."

"I assure you that if you hadn't put this in my hand, we would be having a very different conversation. But a success is a success. There is only one more piece to my master plan."

"Sir, may I ask a question?"

"Yes!"

"Why didn't you have me wait until night to steal the crystal? And why could only that human remove the crystal?"

Plasmus chuckled. "Because I want the people of Amity Park to grow more and more terrified of ghosts. I want the problem to grow and grow until they will give anything for some one to rescue them. Then this town will be mine. It will serve as a base for my more global operations."

Technus whistled. "You have some complicated plans boss."

"Don't concern yourself with such matters. Just play your role and all will fall into place."

Eyevar floated in front of Plasmus. "Master, the one you have requested has arrived. Red also informs me the project is complete."

Plasmus's grin grew. "Excellent!"

* * *

Later that evening, Zack was being helped home by Derrick and Rachel. The members of The Embers were in a relatively sullen mode. Amber was still missing and Zack was injured. Derrick opened the door as Rachel set his luggage inside the door.

"You sure you don't want us to say."

Zack held up his bandaged left hand. "I'll be fine. Any luck finding Amber?"

"None! The police haven't found anything and she isn't at any of her old hideouts."

Derrick chuckled. "Even her father is going ballistic. I guess she was right. She would have to disappear for him to notice."

"You know that isn't true." Rachel shoved him a bit.

Derrick stopped and turned towards the hallway across the living room. "I think someone is in your shower." Everyone stopped talking and the sound of running water could be heard clearly. Zack motioned to the umbrella stand near the door. Two baseball bats were the only things in it.

Rachel gave Zack a weird look. He shrugged. "I live alone."

Rachel and Derrick grabbed the bats and the trio slowly moved toward the bathroom. The water stopped and the two with bats stood ready to swing. The door opened and Amber walked out in a red robe. Everyone froze for a moment.

"Amber?" Rachel smiled and wrapped her arms around her. "Where were you? We were so worried about you."

"Calm down!" Amber pushed Rachel off of her. "I am fine and I have good news. We have a chance to play in a rock tournament for a real recording contract."

Derrick scratched his head. "That is really cool, but shouldn't we call your dad."

"And what happened to you?" Zack rubbed his injured arm. "Everything that happened is a blur."

Amber smerked and her eyes flashed blue. Her band mates's eyes flashed as well. "Don't worry. There is plenty of time. We have more important things to do." The others nodded in agreement. "Good."

**

* * *

**

**Ultimate Profile**

Nicolai Technus

Formally a school teacher and admired by the students. His gifted intelligence attracted the attention of Vlad Plasmus who wanted it put to work for his plans. Crafting a device to transform him into a ghost, he had hoped to quietly transform him. However it backfired and destroyed the entire school, but it did succed in turning the school teacher into a ghost. Even with his memories clouded from the transformation, his intelligence only increased and he gained control of all technological devices around him. Crafting a power staff to better focus his powers, he constantly does what Vlad asks of him even if he doesn't fully know what he is doing.


	23. To the Future and Back

Danny sat with his face in his hands. He had been that way for over an hour after coming to the warehouse. School had been canceled and the principle had been fired for his bright, lets send the kids on a few fieldtrips plan, backfired. Jack Sparrow for his part, simply sat across the table eating an apple. He was perfectly content to let the teen wallow. Danny's parents were out and about setting up ghost detectors and working with the police to equip them with Fenton technology. Normally a child would be happy that their parents were successful, but it didn't help that they wanted to rip apart what he was turning into.

"What am I doing wrong?"

Jack stopped eating. "Depends on what your talking about. The incident at the lab, the fact your parents will try to obliterate you if they see you in ghost form, or the fact you got a C- on your English quiz."

Danny looked up. "Your not helping."

"Neither are you! Seriously, what good is sitting there full of self pity? Your problems will not solve themselves. All you can do is try your best to fix what you can."

"I don't have the time. I have to study, dodge my parents, get my butt kicked by every single ghost I try to fight. Maybe I should take Plasmus up on his offer."

"His what?"

Danny shot to his feet. "Nothing!"

Jack glared at him for a moment and sighed. "Red offered to give you a full year of training in just a day."

"How did you know?"

Jack stood up. "Red is a very old and powerful ghost. His most sinister power is the ability to modify memory. Given enough time, he could completely rewrite a person's mind. Change them to someone completely different. He has employed this power very well over the years. He changes small things in one's mind, a shift here a push there. Soon you'll completely go along with what he wants and not be the wiser." Jack leaned on the table. "He'll give you your training, all the while turning you into a willing puppet of Plasmus."

"But what else can I do? I am totally losing out there. Your training isn't making me stronger fast enough."

"There are no short cuts. Even if there were a few, the cost would be to great."

"Isn't there something?"

"One moment!" Jack suddenly vanished and reappeared a foot to the left. He wore a slightly grim look on his face. "After a week of arguing with my ever flexible boss, Clockwork. He has decided to let you try and acquire a ghost artifact that will help you focus and strengthen your power."

"Really?"

"Yes! But you will need to earn the item. It's located a few years in the future."

"How much is a few?"

"Best if you don't know too much about where your going." He motioned for Danny to follow him. "The artifact you are going to look for is called the Ring of Varda. It was forged using the blood of the king of vampires, Vlad Dracula."

"Your kidding?"

"Afraid not. He forged the ring to allow his half vampire son, Alucard to better access his vampric powers. It should do the same for your ghostly powers. Assuming the ring lets you use it."

"The ring lets me use it? It isn't going to speak to me in my head is it?"

A glowing circle appeared on the floor that looked like a giant clock face. Jack pushed Danny into the center of it. "Of course not. Probably!"

"WHAT?" The circle flashed and Danny vanished.

Jack glanced around and drew his saber. He casually whistled and slashed a small rip into the air in front of him. "Oops, how clumsy of me." As he waved his hand to close it, a small folded paper slipped from his hand and vanished into the rip as it closed. "There all better."

* * *

Danny had rub his eyes until his vision recovered from the flash of light. His jaw dropped at the sight before him. He was still standing in the warehouse, but it was now in ruins. Most of the ceiling had caved in and there was a huge chunk of wall missing. Slowly he made his way through the rubble and managed to climb on top of a large fallen piece of wall. They sky was dark with thick gray clouds. Ahead of him he could see Amity Park, the city was only a few tall metal towers surrounded by destroyed buildings.

"Where am I?"

"Actually!" Danny nearly jumped out of his skin as a girl appeared behind him. "I think the term would be when." The girl was around his age dressed in long black pants and black tank top with a white symbol that looked like a merging of a D and a P on the front. Her long white hair was tied back in a ponytail and her eyes shined with green light.

Danny gulped slightly. "Ok! When am I and who are you?"

The girl smiled. "Can't tell you." She pulled out a folded piece of paper from her pocket. "This came out of some kind of vortex that appeared right in front of me."

Danny took the paper and unfolded it. A drawing of a ring was on the top and fancy writing at the bottom. "Danny, just remembered that knowing what the ring would look like would be very helpful in your quest to find said ring. So above is a rough sketch. As for when you are, don't worry very distant future, don't even give it a second thought. In front of you is a girl I have asked to meet you here and offer what help she can. Return to the spot you appeared and yell my name. That will be my signal to bring you back. Good luck and don't do anything stupid, unless you were meant to, then don't don't do something stupid. Captain Jack Sparrow. PS, Don't ask what year it is!"

Danny sighed and folded the paper back up. "Ever helpful Jack. And you are?"

"Danni Phantom, Danni with an i. I'm your clone."

"My what?"

"After you sort of died, someone saved your DNA until they could create an army to fight the invasion with their own powers. But the lab was destroyed after I was made."

Danny flopped down. "This is too much. What year is it? What happened?"

"Sorry!" Danni knelt down next to him. "Lets just find your ring. The you can go back and maybe you can change all this."

"I failed, didn't I?"

Danni knocked him on the head. "I refuse to believe I am of a clone of failure. Things haven't happened yet for you. So you can fix it. OK?"

Danny managed a small smile. "Right!" He stood up. "So what now?"

"Transform before the scouts find us and we'll head over to my hideout. I have a couple of friends that might be able to give us some leads."

"Going Ghost!" Danny transformed into Danny Phantom. "What scouts by they way?"

Danni eyes grew and she pointed behind him. "Them!"

He knew he shouldn't, but Danny couldn't help but to turn his head. Three red skinned creatures that floated on black leathery wings were just a few feet behind him. They had small horns and held black spears made out of stone. The creatures hissed steam out of their fanged mouths. "Oh boy!"

"Duck!" Danny gladly obliged as Danni fired several green beams of energy from her hands. They smacked into the creatures and the exploded in puffs of black smoke. "There will be more. We need to run." The pair took of in a sprint as they jumped clear from the rubble of the warehouse.

"Why don't we fly?"

Danni pointed up as a small cloud of the creatures descended from the grey clouds. "We'd be sitting ducks. Just need to get the outskirts of the city. We can use the sewers to get to the hideout."

The ran as fast as they could, but the cloud of creatures reached them before they got very far. She stopped and fired an energy beam. Several creatures were destroyed, but there were plenty to take their places. Danny stopped as the cloud surrounded them. "Any ideas?"

"They don't take prisoners. We just have to go down fighting."

"Some plan!" Danny clenched his fists and tried to summon some energy. They sparked weakly. "Great!"

Danni's eyes flashed and she smiled. "No problems cousin." She tackled Danny to the ground and formed an energy dome around them.

A small silver sphere flew through the cloud of creatures and landed next to the shield. It beeped and exploded. A green wave shot from the explosion and the creatures were wiped out. A guy in his twenties was standing nearby. He wore all black with a combat vest to match. A sword hung from both sides of his waist and a silver metal bracer dominated his left forearm. He ran his hand through his short brown hair as he shook his head. "Danni, what did I tell you about leaving HQ without some Tucker Tech?"

Danni dismissed the energy dome. "Sorry. I didn't think they would find me that fast." She ran at him and jumped into his arms. "Besides, you get a kick out of being my white knight."

Danny pushed himself to his feet. "I hate to be a wet blanket, but what is going on? Who is that?"

Danni shrugged. "Ash! He's my boyfriend."

Ash glanced at Danni and then to Danny. "Who is this guy?"

Danni laughed. "That the guy I was cloned from."

Ash eyebrow rose and he looked Danny over again. "Are you sure? He looks kind of pathetic looking."

"I am sure."

Ash looked up at the sky. "We better get to the sewers. All that commotion is bound to summon one of the generals. You want to walk?"

Danni yawned and laid her against his shoulder. "You can carry me. I want to take a nap."

"As you wish. Lets go loser."

Danny sighed. "Why are you calling me that?"

Ash turned. "Because all of this is your fault." He started to walk away. Danny could just quietly follow him.

* * *

Ash led Danny down a hidden manhole and through the sewer tunnels that ran underneath the city. The only sounds was their feet splashing in the ankle deep water and the light snores from the sleeping Danni. Danny for his part didn't dare say anything. The amount of hostility from Ash was more than obvious. They stopped in front of what appeared to be a dead end. Ash turned himself and Danni intangible and disappeared through the wall. Danny took a deep breath and concentrated. He felt his body go intangible and jumped through the wall before returning to normal. The hideout was completely different from the filthy sewers that they had spent nearly an hour walking through. It was clean and the walls looked polished. Technology of all shapes and sizes filled the walls and there were a few openings that led deeper in.

Ash headed for one of the openings. "Wait here!" He continued on.

Danny's eyes followed a series of cables that snaked across the wall and ended connected to a massive LED screen. "Man, what Tucker wouldn't give to see this."

An image of a face appeared on the screen. It was Technus. "He has, he is the one that designed all this."

Danny hands sparked with energy. "This is a trap."

"Calm yourself young Daniel." The image of Technus shifted to show a sad face. "My days of evil are long past. Regret everything I have done to you and to this city." The image shifted to show a small smile. "So I have devoted myself to helping the resistance by being their operating system."

"So can you tell me what went wrong to cause all this?"

"Enough, Technus!" Ash walked into the main room. "He isn't here to learn about how he screwed up. Danni said you were here looking for something."

"Yeah!" He transformed long enough to pull out the paper from his pocket and handed it to Ash. "Is Danni alright?"

"She had just comeback from a hit and run attack when she was asked to meet you. For a time traveler, your timing stinks." Ash opened the paper. "She just needs some rest." His eyes narrowed and an evil smirk appeared on his face. "I know this ring. You want this?"

"Kind of!"

"Then lets go!" Ash walked over to a cabinet built into one of the walls. He grabbed a few more of those bombs he had used earlier. He pulled out a large silver pistol. "You want one?"

"I'm good!" Danny watched Ash put the weapon in a holster on his back. "You called all that Tucker Tech?"

"Best stuff ever made." Ash closed the cabinet. "Come on! I want this to be a quick trip."

* * *

The two flew out of the city towards a big fog cloud that seem to cover a huge area. Ash hadn't said anything since they left the HQ and Danny had gotten tired of asking. The flew into the fog and landed in the last place Danny wanted to be, a graveyard. It was silent and the only light came from flames on top of poles every few feet. It seemed to stretch on for miles. Ash waved to him and they made their way through the graveyard. Much to Danny's relief, no zombies had risen to attack them. The approached a large statue that Danny could barely make out what it was. When they got to the foot of the statue, poles placed around it suddenly lit up. Danny fell down and backed away. It was a statue of his mom and dad. Bellow was the words, "Here lies Jack and Maddie Fenton. Gave their lives in the defense of our city." The date was covered in moss. Danny reached to wipe it way, but Ash blocked him.

"I must know!"

"Not in the cards." Ash drew the pistol and aimed it at Danny. "All I have ever heard was how the brave Danny Phantom tried to defend this world. Fighting the ghosts that would enslave us. But I learned the truth. You're a pathetic little boy who failed when the world needed you. You betrayed this city and turned on everyone."

"I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

Ash fired the gun. A green bolt exploded against the ground next to Danny. "All in one felled swoop, all the anti-ghost technology failed and you appeared to lead the invasion."

"It's a lie."

"Oh my source is very reliable. If it wasn't for the fact I don't know when your DNA was saved, I would finish you right here and now." He changed his aim to the statue. "But I have something more interesting in mind."

He obliterated the tops of the statue. Before Danny could say anything, the torches around them went out as a cold wind started to blow. Ash stepped back as a dark shadow appeared before them. It formed into a large robed person with skeleton hands. A black mask covered the face of the robed one. It red eyes glared at Ash who simply pointed to the still downed Danny. The robed figure seemed to be taken aback and crouched low next to Danny.

"Why have you come?" The voice sounded like an dark echo, but also familiar.

"The Ring of Varda." Danny managed to stammer out.

"I see!" The left skeleton hand came towards Danny. On the ring finger was a gold ring with a blood red ruby set in it. "Take it!"

Danny slowly reached out and pulled the ring off the hand. He swallowed to avoid throwing up. "Who are you?" The robed figure's hand reached for the mask. He pulled and it vanished in a puff of smoke. That time Danny did throw up. He was looking at a pale and sunken version of his own face. Danny stood up. "What happened?"

"I weakened. I gave myself to Plasmus for the training I thought I needed. Because of it, I betrayed all who I carried about. I can't tell you how or when. But don't go down that path. I found that ring many years ago and knew it was important." The mask reappeared. "Return to the past. Keep the gears I have set in motion from even starting." His head jerked to the side. "He is coming!"

"Who?"

"Run! I will delay him for as long as I can."

Before Danny could press his other self, Ash grabbed his arm. "You got your ring, we need to go." The pair flew out of the fog and headed toward the warehouse. They ran into Danni inside the ruined building.

"Your not trying to leave without saying goodbye now are you." Danny just stood there silently. Danni looked at Ash. "Where did you take him?"

"Phantom had the ring he needed. So I took him there to get it."

"Your idiot. You knew what that would do to him."

"Last time I fought Phantom, I saw the ring. Do you think he would have just handed it to me?"

"You could have told me and he would have given it to me." Ash opened his mouth to continue the argument, but nodded his head in agreement.

"As for you." She slapped Danny upside the head. "Snap out of it. Yes the world is a dark nightmare, but you have the chance to fix it."

"But…"

She hit him again. "No buts. Go back and time and be the hero I was told about."

Before Danny could come up with an excuse, she hit him again. Ash chuckled. "You better just listen to her, she will keep hitting you."

Danny nodded and slipped the ring on his right hand. "I won't let this happen."

"That would be nice." She kissed him on the cheek. "Just do your best. If you mess up, we'll be here."

"Hey, loser." Danny turned towards Ash and a small black watch flew into his hand. "Just something to remind you of what happened here. It can tell the time and is linked to your parents ghost detectors and radio frequency. A little add on thanks to Technus."

"Thank you." Danny walked to the spot he had first appeared. "Jack!" A minute passed and nothing happened. He sighed, "Captain Jack Sparrow!" The clock face appeared and he vanished in a flash.

* * *

Danny reappeared in the warehouse back in the present. He looked around and found the area deserted. Before he could take a step, Jack appeared behind him and grabbed the back of Danny's head. Danny's eyes flashed blue and he dropped to the floor. Jack removed a circular stone disk from his palm as Clockwork flew up next to him. Jack handed him the stone. "Was that entirely necessary?"

"Shielding his incursion to the future was simple enough, but I can't risk The Observers overhearing any of his conversations about it. This disk simply cloaked his memories of the future."

"Then what was the point of sending him?"

"It proves he has the determination to succeed. I leave the details in your capable hands." Clockwork vanished.

Danny groaned and Jack quickly helped him to his feet. "How was time travel?"

"I think I am going to puke." Danny let Jack led him to a chair. He looked at the ring on his finger. "Guess I did alright. I remember meeting this girl and her crazy boyfriend, but most of it is a blur." He glanced at the watch on his wrist. "Did I leave with this?"

"Best not to worry about it. It is bad to dwell on things that have happen. Even worst when it hasn't happened yet." He produced a cup of water. "You've done plenty today. Tomorrow, we will see what that ring does for you."

Danny took a sip. "Thanks Captain. I'm glad I can trust you."

Jack winced a bit out of Danny's sight. "No problem mate. No problem at all."


	24. Revalations

Walls of flames surrounded the girl as she tried to move through the thick black clouds of smoke. She reached out and was rewarded with a sharp burning pain. She fell back and nearly had her ponytail singed off from fire behind her. She was trapped. The girl covered her mouth with her unhurt hand as the smoke got thicker. Her eyes stung and the last thing she saw before her vision gave out was a black figure moving through the flames. The girl screamed!

Sam eyes flew open as the scream filled her mind. She fell out of her cross-legged position and fumbled for the bracelet Clockwork had given her. She snapped it on and rubbed her temples as the images faded. Her attempts to try and see the future weren't working as well as she had hopped. At the rate she was going, she would have a permanent migraine. She stood up on wobbly legs and grabbed her boots. She recognized the girl who screamed in her vision.

* * *

Vlad Plasmus stood on a balcony overlooking a large garage. Down bellow, Technus gave directions to dozens of smaller ghost as they worked a huge metal frame of some kind of vehicle. He gently stroked his goatee as he saw Jack Fenton's design slowly form before his eyes. He hated the fat oaf with all of his being, but he was also smart enough to recognize talent when he saw it. All things were moving along as he planned. The only things missing was the ring and the item currently protected by the ghost warden, Walker. The ring he had a substitute for and soon the other item would be his. Red appeared behind him and bowed.

"You summoned my lord?"

"Prompt as always. All these months of planning will soon be complete. I just need a few more pieces to complete the puzzle. The boy?

"No word at the safe house. I fear Sparrow may have talked him out of it."

"Well a little more pushing will take care of that. Who do you suggest?"

"The Ghoulish Trio , my lord. They have been waiting to prove themselves."

Plasmus laughed. "Another well thought out suggestion. You will play an integral part in my plans."

Red bowed again. "I am unworthy of your praise."

"Nonsense. Every great conquer depended on the abilities of his generals. Sadly, I have yet to find another with your skill."

"There are plenty. You just need to prove to them that you are far more than a dreamer. Show them what I have seen in you and all will flock and beg to be serve you."

Plasmus laughed and shattered balcony's guard rail as he slammed his fists down. "YES! Soon all my ambitions will be fulfilled and I will rule all that I see!"

Red tapped his master on the shoulder. "Sir! The workers."

Plasmus looked down and saw everyone had stopped and were looking at him weirdly. He coughed. "As you were!"

* * *

Sam rode her bike to the suburb part of town and stopped in front of a one floor ranch style house. She left her bike on the small lawn and ran up the door. Zack had return home yesterday and was the closest of Amber's band members. Sam rang the bell twice and waited a few minuets. She rang it a few more times and heard a girl yell from the other side. The door swung open.

"Do you know what time is it?" It was Amber in sweatpants and shirt.

Sam's jaw dropped. "Amber?"

"Sam!" Amber quickly gave her a tight hug. "I forgot to call you."

"Forgot? How long have you been back? The cops have been looking for you. Your dad went spastic."

Amber held up her hand. "My dad hasn't cared enough to be spastic in a long time."

"He has! He has called my house everyday asking about you."

"Yeah right! You want to skip class? We can hang out and talk."

Sam considered it and shook her head. "A lot has happened and it is much harder to skip class after all these ghost attacks."

"Really? Sam Manson is playing the by the rules now. Kind of sad really, you've conformed."

"I haven't! I guess I can miss one day."

"Great! I just have to change."

Sam followed Amber in and shut the door. As they walked through the living room, she saw Zack sitting on the couch. He was flexing his injured hand with a pained look on his face. Amber walked into another room and shut the door. "Zack?"

The base player stopped flexing his hand. "Sam? What are you doing here?"

"Why didn't you tell me? Your suppose to be the responsible one in the group. Her dad doesn't know she is safe and I find out just by chance. Why?"

"I don't know." Zack had a puzzled look on his face as he tried to think of a reason. "I wanted to after me and the others found her here after I came home from the hospital, but I didn't. Neither did the others for that matter. For some reason we just didn't."

* * *

A loud beeping sound filled Danny's room followed by his dad's booming voice telling him to get up and attack the day. The half asleep teen's hand stretched out from the under the covers and knocked the clock that was shaped like Jack's face off the bedside table. It hit the floor and ringed louder. Danny grumbled and scooped the clock off the floor. He hit the off button and reminded himself to "thank" dad for the patented Fenton Alarm Clock. He tossed it over his shoulder and yawned. As he stretched, his wrists were grabbed and he was pulled into the air. He shot upward and phased through the ceiling and out of the building.

"What is going on?"

Three green ghosts appeared. Their eyes glowed yellow and they were dressed in green tattered robes. Two held his wrist and the other flew in front of him. The one in front laughed. "So this is the ghost kid. Not much to him."

"Right, brother. He is just another stupid human."

"A smelly one at that."

"Hey!" Danny tried to free himself from that ghosts' grip. "I sweat a lot when I sleep."

"If you say so." The lead ghost floated in front of Danny. "You afraid of heights?"

"Kind of!"

"Oh joy. Brothers!" The two ghosts let go and the teen dropped towards the ground. The three laughed until the lead one suddenly realized something. "We're we suppose to let him go splat." The trio scratched their heads.

"Going Ghost!" Danny transformed just before he hit. He stopped in midair and looked at his hands as he felt energy that he never felt before. The Ring of Varda shined on his right hand. Danny smiled as he looked up at the three ghosts. "My turn!" He shot upward at high speed. The ghosts paid him no head as they continued to ponder. Danny summoned a sphere of energy around him and crashed into them. The split apart as the sphere vanished.

"So your tougher than we thought. Well your no match for us. Lord Plamsus will have to accept us when we bring him you."

"Brother! The lord said not to mention his name."

The lead ghost gulped. "Forget what I said. Get him!"

Danny's hands erupted with energy. "Tell Plasmus I don't need or want his help." He fired beams of light that smashed back two of the ghosts. He dodged the third one's attack and grabbed his tattered robes. "Stay away from my home!" Danny placed his palm on the ghost's forehead and blasted him back with a burst of energy from it. Danny smiled as the ghosts flew out of sight. "Now that was awesome."

* * *

It had been hours and Sam was no closer to finding out what had happen to Amber. Her cell phone had been vibrating not stop until Sam finally just turned it off. Her parents were going to go nuclear when she got home. The pair had gone to the movies, had lunch, and listen to practically every demo CD in the music store at the mall. As they exited the Mall, Sam grabbed her friend's arm.

"Amber?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened?"

Amber shrugged. "What?"

"You know what." Sam couldn't hold in her temper any longer. "You disappear for days and suddenly appear at Zack's. Then for some reason neither you or your band tell anyone your back. Your dad called me everyday hoping you contacted me. I spent nights looking for you with Derrick and Rachel. I deserve some answers."

Amber's face soften slightly. "Sam, I real don't know what happened. I was helping you search for that Fenton kid and then I woke up in my room. End of story."

"You woke up at your house and snuck out."

"No, I've been living at Zack's for the past six months."

"What?"

"I just couldn't handle being at home and he had an extra room. It's not like we hooked up or anything. Plus he was starting lose it from living alone for so long, so we each got something."

"You really don't remember."

Amber shrugged. "No and I just want to drop it. I'm here now and don't plan on going anywhere. But I guess I better let dad know I am back and alright. I'll see you at school tomorrow." Amber headed back to Zack's. Sam followed silently to make sure she got home alright. She called home and their driver quickly picked her up to take her to the long berating that was no doubt waiting for her.

* * *

Plasmus's eyes narrowed as The Ghoulish Brothers groveled at his feet. He couldn't had made their mission any easier. He blocked Jack's security protocols so they could get to the boy. He had carefully increased their powers to easily overpower Danny. And yet, they not only failed to discourage the boy, they told him who sent them. "ENOUGH!" His yell seemed to shake the room that they were in. His hands surged with purple energy and he vaporized the ghosts. "RED!"

His advisor appeared with a bow. "My lord."

"These ghosts have made it even harder to win the boy to my side. I need my apprentice, I need my successor." He slowly approached Red. "What other moron will you suggest next?"

"Sir, I am afraid that the boy's power has spiked incredibly in a short amount of time. No one could have predicted this. I suggested the brother because they were more on his level. Apparently that level has risen."

"A certain pirate seemed to have predicted it." He stopped just short of Red. "What do you plan to do to correct this?" Red whispered a single word into Plasmus's ear. Plasmus smiled and chuckled. "Good answer! Very good! Danny Phantom will soon beg me for help."

* * *

**Author Note:** Sorry for the long wait. Kept getting distracted. Thanks for all the reviews and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.


	25. Meeting the Parents

Danny and Jack stood a few feet apart on a sparring mat. Danny's training with his powers was moving along much faster with The Ring of Varda. Not only did it make his powers easier to use, but he found them easier to conjure on his own without the ring. So Jack had shifted his training to something more physical. After about twenty minutes on the weight machine, which made Danny's arms extremely sore, both of them had done karate outfits and Jack went through the basics of self-defense. After several minutes, Danny was looking up at the ceiling with Jack standing over him.

"Being a little rough on a beginner?"

Jack shrugged and helped the teen to his feet. "Practical application is the only way to learn. Toughens you up!"

"If I live through it." An alarm went off and a red light flashed from a small computer in the corner. "What is that?"

"We have an intruder." Jack walked over to the computer and switched it on. The screen showed a pair of individuals standing just outside the warehouse door.

Danny recognized them and groaned. "Those are my parents. How did they find me?"

"No doubt some crazed tracking device with the word Fenton tacked on. No signal can escape these walls, but no doubt they have been searching the area where they lost the signal." Jack switched the screen off. "You need to get out there and stall."

"How am I going to stall?"

"Effectively hopefully. Just give me five minutes."

Danny nodded and ran to the door. Taking a few deep breaths, he opened the door and smiled. "Mom! Dad!"

Before his father could say a word, Maddie grabbed Danny's shoulders. "What are you doing here? You were supposed to come home right after school. The ghosts out there might attack you for revenge against us."

"Mom, this place has the latest anti-ghost tech from Mastercorp."

"What are you doing here?"

Danny motioned to his outfit. "Just some self-defense classes. I'm getting tired of Dash kicking my butt every other day."

His father, Jack, scratched his head. "Why not just ask your mother? She has a black belt in kung-fu."

"Judo and Jujutsu, honey." Maddie managed a small smile. "I understand, but you needed to tell us."

"Sorry, but I didn't want to trouble you. You guys have been so busy with the ghosts."

His mom hugged him. "We will never be too busy for you." She stood up and tried to step past Danny.

"Where are you going?"

"To meet this teacher of yours." Before Danny could argue further, his parents pushed past him and entered the warehouse. Danny rushed to join them and was stunned at the sight before him. A group of twenty teenagers were at the far side of the warehouse, doing exercises. Jack Sparrow was dressed up in a fancier karate outfit and watching as Sam flipped Tucker over her shoulder and onto the mat. Maddie nodded. "Well, he seems to have a large class." She looked at the various training equipment that was all over the warehouse. "Strange equipment thou."

Jack Sparrow turned and smiled. "Ah, you must be The Fentons." He glanced at Tucker. "Good going, young one. Now get up and try again." Jack turned and walked to Danny's parents. There was an echoing thud from the mat as he got to them. "Have him in tip top shape in no time. Name is Flying Sparrow, how can I help you?"

Jack Fenton leaned forward and looked at Jack Sparrow with a critical eye. "I've seen you somewhere before."

"Really?" Sparrow stroked his goatee and moved into a pose Danny had seen from one of The Pirates of the Caribbean posters.

"You were in a movie?" Jack scratched his head and snapped his fingers. "Tron!"

Sparrow suppressed a chuckle. "A walk on role, not really worth mentioning."

Maddie patted her husband's shoulder. "We were just wondering who was keeping our son from home."

Jack Sparrow bowed. "My sincerest apologies my dear madam." He took her gloved hand and gently kissed it. "I had no idea I was causing such a beautiful and radiant young woman to worry." Both Maddie's and Jack Fenton's face grew red. One from the flattery and one from jealously. Sparrow ignored it completely and continued to shower Danny's mom with compliments.

"Well you certainly seem to be a good teacher." Maddie stepped onto the mat and watched the group go through their forms. "What style were you taught?"

"I am a student of all the major styles and forms. Everything from plan old Karate to Ninjitsu. I was also one of Bruce Lee's last students. Now that man had a style."

Maddie rolled her shoulders and took a stance. "Show me! If you're going to teach my son, I want to make sure you know what you're talking about."

Sparrow smiled. "This should be interesting."

Jack lunged and the two exchanged everything from blows to throws for nearly ten minutes. The group of students ignored them, but Danny, Tucker, Sam, and Jack Fenton stood aw struck as the two went at it. Jack Fenton tugged on his collar as he watched his wife do a flip in midair and land on her feet. "Never seen your mother move like this before." The teens slowly moved away from Jack.

Sparrow threw a palm strike, which Maddie caught and she promptly flung him to the mat. As he tried to get up, Maddie pinned him down with her boot. Jack laughed. "You are a very talented person, Miss Fenton. If you weren't taken, I might be tempted."

"And you're a shameless flatter and egomaniac. But I think my son will benefit from your classes. Just have him home by seven thirty."

"As you wish!" Jack tried to get up, but couldn't. "Would you mind removing your foot?"

"Sorry." Maddie removed her foot and walked over to her husband. "Let's go honey! I'll bake you some cookies."

"You got it." Jack Fenton ran for the exit.

Maddie Fenton patted her son on the head. "Behave yourself and we'll see you at home." She walked out of the warehouse and closed the door.

Jack jumped to his feet and clapped his hands. The group of students vanished. He walked over to Danny and gave him a careful stare. "Are you sure you're not adopted?"

"Very funny!" Danny looked to his two friends. "How did you guys get here?"

"Jack stopped time and told me and Sam you needed us." Tucker rubbed his back. "Granted I didn't think it would be so painful."

Sam smacked Tucker on the back which caused the boy to yell. "It was fun."

Jack checked his watch. "It's just past five, but let's call it a day. For being so helpful in giving Danny an alibi, I have a special treat for you." He waved his hands and three movie tickets appeared in his hand. "Go an enjoy yourselves. Now I can train the boy without worrying about his parents."

The trio took the tickets. Sam turned them around. "How did you know what movie we wanted to see?"

"Time travel! Now run along!" The group went to go change and Jack waved goodbye as they left. "Nice bunch."

"You're too light handed on the child!" Clockwork appeared next to Jack in his child form. "He is behind schedule."

Jack glanced at Clockwork as he shifted to his adult form. "There are far more important things than power. One must have their heart in the right place."

"The forces of darkness are beginning to take shape. I hope his heart is up to it." Clockwork vanished.

Sparrow sighed; Clockwork's message had been crystal clear for once. He was running out of time.

* * *

Amber McClain maneuvered around the small groups of students the cluttered the hallways of Casper High. Outside a few glances, the Goth girl was largely ignored by everyone else. She ducked down a little used hall and stopped at the door that led to the basement. Quickly checking to see if it was clear, she slipped through the door. The door was supposed to be locked, but it was broken and the school was too cheap to fix it. Amber descended the small flight of stairs and walked through the large basement. She ducked under some water pipes and squeezed passed a water heater. It was a well hidden corner of the basement where she had set up a chair and small table. It was the only place she could truly be alone. She sat down and flopped her backpack on the table. She reached under the table and found the pack of cigarettes she had taped to the bottom of it. She placed one of the cigarettes in her mouth and brought up her lighter to light it. A sudden chill filled the area and the flame on the lighter flickered out.

"Those are bad for you!" A male voice that sounded like it was from the grave filled Amber's ears.

She dropped the lighter and cigarette in her mouth. "Who is there?"

"Run little girl." The voice sounded both distant and close.

Amber left her corner and ran towards the stairs. She stopped in shock as she noticed the stairs had vanished. The door was still where it was supposed to be, but no way to get up to it. "What is going on?" A shadow flew past her and she spun around to follow it. There was nothing there. She started to back up and her back bumped against something, it wasn't a wall. She turned and came face to face a metal skull with a sinister grin its face.

"Miss me?"

* * *

Amber screamed and fell out of her bed as the image of the metal skull stuck in her mind. Realizing she was laying on a carpet and not the cold stone floor of the school, she clawed at her bed to pull herself into a sitting position. She took several deep breaths as she waited for her heart rate to go down. There was a slight knock and Zack opened the door.

"You alright?"

Amber wiped some sweat from her forehead. "I'm fine. Just a bad dream."

"You need anything?" Amber shook her head no. Zack nodded, "Try to get some sleep."

"Wait! It's not that early." A quick glance told both of them it was three thirty in the morning. Zack took one look at Amber's face and realized sleep was the last thing she wanted.

"I'll put on some coffee; you want to find a DVD?"

Amber managed a small smile. "Yeah." Zack yawned and turned to leave. "Zack, Thanks!" Her injured bass player simply nodded again and went to the kitchen. Amber pulled herself to her feet and hugged herself. She didn't know why, but that skull face was familiar.

* * *

**Author Note:** Sorry about the long wait. Bad combination of computer crashing and lost hardware disks. Quick lesion from this, always back up your files. I hope to return to constant updating. Thank you for your patience.


	26. The Ghost Wolf

Danny was beginning to leave for school when his father ran into him. Jack Fenton was carrying a rather large silver cannon of some sort. Green lights wrapped around the barrel and it hummed. "Heading to schools, son?"

"Yeah." Danny eyed the cannon with a worried look. "Didn't mom ban bringing ghost weapons into the main part of the house?" Danny was referring to an incident several months ago where Jack had accidently filled the kitchen with ghost goo after his Fenton Goo Launcher had self-destructed when the barrel had gotten clogged.

"Just wanted to show the family my latest invention, which will help us stop the horrible undead scum that is terrorizing this city." Jack held up the cannon like he was going to fire it. "Say hello to The Fenton Portable Gene Splicer! This baby will painfully rip a ghost apart atom by atom. That will show them that they can't haunt my city." Jack waved the cannon around and speaking as if he was blasting one ghost after another.

Danny ducked as the cannon was waved in his direction. "Is it safe to just swing that thing around like that?"

Jack smiled. "Of course it is. I put installed a safety trigger to prevent any accidents. There won't be a repeat of The Fenton Plasma Bomb incident again." As he spoke he pulled the trigger to make his point. A bright green light fired from the cannon and hit the living room couch. The couch sparkled and instantly disintegrated into a large pile of ash and fibers. Jack looked at the cannon and pressed a small red button above the trigger. "Which I forgot to turn on apparently." Jack reached into one of the pockets on his jumpsuit and pulled out a five dollar bill. "If your mom asks?"

Danny quickly took the money. "You took the couch out to be cleaned."

"That's my boy. Now I got some internet searching to do." Jack ran to the lab.

"What about the pile of ash?"

"What pile?" Maddie Fenton walked into the living room and looked at the pile and then to Danny. "What happened to the couch?"

Danny gulped. "Dad sent it out to be cleaned."

Maddie held out her hand. "What really happened?"

The teen sighed in defeat and gave his mom the five bucks. "Dad blasted it with his new invention."

"Again! What am I going to do with that father of yours?" Maddie patted Danny on the head. "At least you know it isn't right to accept money for lying to your mother."

"Yes mom."

"Well you get going and I am going to have a nice long talk with your father." Maddie went down the stairs to the lab. "Jack Robert Fenton!" Jack's full name, when Maddie used that, it wasn't good.

Danny shrugged. "Easy come, easy go." Danny headed outside and spotted his sister waving at him from her car.

"You need a ride?"

"Sure. Can you just drop me off at Tucker's?"

"Can do!" Jazz heard their mother yelling from the basement lab. "Dad bring another invention upstairs?"

"We lost the couch."

"Ouch! Well, mom was looking for an excuse to redecorate." Jazz started the car when Danny got in and buckled his seatbelt. "I heard you were talking a self-defense class."

"Yeah, I am getting a little tired of being beaten up at school."

Jazz turned away from the driveway. "You could have asked for my help."

"No offense, but having my big sister come and save me wouldn't exactly help my already lame social standing."

"I meant teaching you a few moves. I took judo when I was your age."

"Thanks, but I knew you were busy with your studies and selecting a collage. This is your last year of high school."

"Weird isn't it." Jazz turned the corner. "To think I still remember when I was in elementary school and you were wetting the bed."

"I try not to think about those years."

Jazz scratched her brother's head. "I'm going to miss you when I move out."

"I will too, but the fact I get your room will help out a lot."

"Glad you will have something to help you adapt."

As they continued to go along the street, a large object landed on the hood of Jazz's car. Through the windshield, all the teens could see was a whirlwind of fur and fangs. Jazz hit the brakes and spun the wheel. The car swerved and stopped as it skidded onto the sidewalk. Pedestrians took off running and other cars quickly moved to get away from the incident. The object that had been on the hood flew off and landed a few yards away from the car. For the first time, they were able to get a good look at it. It was a very large green glowing wolf. Danny recognized it as the one that had escaped from the park all those weeks ago. He had completely forgotten it was still running around. The wolf had grown and Danny didn't know it stood taller than him now and from the look in the wolf's red eyes, it remembered him. The wolf snarled at the car and slowly began to approach it.

"Don't move!" Despite everything, Jazz voice was still calm. She glanced down and spotted her purse. It had fallen into Danny's foot well. "Try and get my purse. It has a panic button in it that will summon Mom and Dad."

"When did you get that?"

"Dad gave it to me when I started dating. Said he would personally pummel any guy that tried anything."

"Thank god for dad's overprotectiveness." Danny managed to slip his foot through the shoulder strap and slowly raised his foot up so he could reach it.

The wolf howled and charged at the car. Both teens screamed as the wolf lunged at the windshield. Jazz reached under the steering wheel and pressed a small button. A small dome of energy formed around the car and the wolf bounced off of it.

"Hurry Danny, this shield drains the battery fast."

Danny fumbled around Jazz's purse and found a triangle shaped device with a button on it in the shape of the letter F. "Got it!" Danny pressed the button and the device beeped.

"Now let's hope they get here before my car battery dies."

The wolf repeatedly clawed at the energy dome and the teens watched in despair as the battery meter on the dashboard slowly dropped to E. With one last swipe, the dome flickered and vanished. The wolf seemed to chuckle as he started to climb onto the hood of the car. As it raised its paw to smash through the windshield, a dark skinned boy appeared from around the corner and yelled.

"Danny?"

Danny's heart sank deeper. "Tucker, RUN!"

The wolf turned towards the teen, snarled and shot at him. Tucker wanted to run, but fear froze his feet into place. The large ghost wolf jumped to pounce him. As the wolf was about to land on him, it shimmered with green light and knocked Tucker to the ground. The form of the wolf melted away and the teen was covered in ash and burnt fur. He quickly leapt to his feet and brushed himself off. "What happened?"

Down the street stood The Fenton RV, Jack Fenton was in front of it with his Gene Splicer cannon in hand. He held it up and had a big smile on his face. "See, this baby works great."

Maddie walked up to her husband. "Yes Dear, but it doesn't make up for what you did to the couch."

Jack's shoulders slumped. "Right. I will never bring a weapon into the main part of the house or bribe our children to cover it up."

She kissed him on the cheek. "You go check on Tucker and I'll check on the kids."

Danny and Jazz quickly exited the car and ran into the tight embrace of their mother. Jack walked over to the still stunned Tucker and slapped him hard on the back. "How was it being so close the snarling maul of ghost?" Tucker mumbled a few words, but none of it understandable. Jack was sympathetic, but had no other way to express it but to slap him on the back again. "I know, words just can't describe it. But don't you worry. As soon as The Fentons are finished, no ghost will dare set foot or ghostly tail thingy that some of them have in this city again. So cheer up." Tucker managed a nod and walked towards his friend. Jack sighed. "Something ain't right with that boy."

The warm group hug broke apart. Maddie would give them a lift to school while Jack recharged Jazz's car with the portable charger. As the teens piled onto the RV, a cop car drove up. Before his story could get to be a tall tale from her husband, Maddie had Jack drive the kids to school while she gave the report to the police. Despite everything, they still managed to get to the school before classes started. Sam waved goodbye as she ran to her classes. Danny and Tucker walked through the front doors and walked down the hallway. Tucker's voice had returned to him finally.

"That was a close one, wasn't it?"

Danny had to agree. "I almost transformed, but even then, I wasn't sure I could handle that thing. How are you holding up?"

"Well, almost becoming a ghost wolf's snack, I'm alright."

"If you want to stop being my friend, I would understand."

Tucker managed a small smile and wrapped his arm around Danny's neck. "Hey, you don't abandon a friend in need. Plus I figure if the ghosts do invade, you're the safest person to be around."

"Thanks. I needed that." The pair laughed, but stopped when they reached Danny's locker. It had been covered in graffiti. Most of it insulting his family and telling him to leave. Danny was dumbstruck. "Who did this?"

"All those who know it is your family's fault these ghosts are here." The teens turned around and spotted a small group of students led by Valerie Gray. Small bits of paint from a spray can were on her fingers. One was jabbing at Danny. "Things were fine until you and your crazy parents moved here. Now our school was destroyed and there are ghost attacks all over the city."

"My parents are trying to stop them."

"Yeah right! I bet all this was caused by your parents. They were laughing stocks of the city before these ghost showed up. Now they are considered heroes. I bet they released all these ghosts just to boost their reputations." The crowd of students behind her chanted their agreement."

Danny found no words to use, but Tucker quickly stepped in-between him and Valerie. "None of this is The Fentons's fault. There is crime in this city too. Are you going to blame the criminals being here because we have cops? Danny's parents are helping to stop these ghosts. You're just looking for someone to blame." Before the agreement could continue, someone yelled teacher and the group quickly disbursed. Tucker turned to Danny and tried to cheer him up. "They are just scared. Heck, I am scared, but I know you and your folks can beat this thing."

"At least someone does." The two retrieved their books and went to class.

* * *

Paulina stood on top of a raised dais wearing a long purple dress that sparkled from the many jewels that were sewn into it. Around her were dozens of handsome and strong men in tuxedos. Each had an expensive gift in hand and was trying to get her to marry them. Each announced the lavished mansions they owned or the islands that they would dedicate to her. Paulina just blushed as each offer was more glamorous then the next. This was the perfect future for the most popular and pretty girl in Amity Park. As it continued, a dark voice filled her ears. "Such a vain and pathetic existence." Paulina looked around, but saw nothing beyond her admirers. "I wonder if they would be as interested if they saw the true you." The girl felt her face tingle and it started to feel different. All of a sudden, all the men started to back away with looks of disgust on their faces. Paulina touched her face and found her perfect little nose had grown to almost a foot long and had warts covering it. She started to panic as she touched the rest of her face and found it felt rough and deformed.

"What is happening to my perfect face?"

A dark laugh filled the air as a full length mirror appeared in front of her. "It isn't just the face."

Paulina screamed as her perfect beautiful body had changed to a twisted humpbacked version of itself. Her dress had changed into dark dirty rags and her face was the most hideous thing she had ever seen. She shoved against the mirror and it shattered on the ground. She tried to run, but found herself in the hallway of Casper High. All round her, the students laughed and jeered at her ugly looks. Ever her pool of friends jumped away as she tried to talk to them. The laughing intensified and Paulina screamed at the top of her lungs. "NO!"

* * *

Paulina jumped out of her seat. The entire class was looking at her and Mr. Lancer was tapping his foot as he stood in front of the chalk board. "Is there a problem Ms. Sanchez? Bad enough you sleep through my class, but the screaming really does hinder the few people who actually want to learn something."

Paulina checked her face in her pocket mirror and found it normal. "Sorry, guess I had a bad dream." She sat back down and Lancer got back to his lecture.


	27. Attack of the ghost werewolf pt1

It was late night in Amity Park as several of Eyevar's floating eyes flew across the city. These eyes were small, no bigger than a normal human's eye. They were perfect for patrol and surveillance. Plasmus had noticed an increase in random ghost activity in the city so he had Eyevar doing late night patrols in order to try and track down the source of the ghosts. So far, he hadn't been able to find anything out of the ordinary. The ghost wolf that had attacked The Fentons earlier that morning had been a cause to worry. Plasmus wanted the ghostly energies that he had infected the people who had been around the school explosion to naturally develop. It was an experiment on a grand scale that promised to provide Plasmus with an army of human/ghost hybrids. But it was slowly being ruined by other ghosts who wished to absorb the energy and become stronger. So it was up to the mutant ghost to try and keep an eye out so to speak for anything that wasn't a part of the master's plan.

A boring task at best, but Eyevar was glad to be working for a master who truly valued his abilities. The endless years of being tormented by other ghosts had given way to a purpose he now valued. A quick movement just outside of one his eyeballs range returned his mind to the task at hand. It was one of them in the residential area of the city. It was a cluster of houses that were arranged to look like a more urban area. Quickly he summoned more of his eyeballs to converge on the area to try and confirm what he had seen. As he gained a wider range, he spotted a large object running towards the section of the city that housed the most apartment complexes. He could read a spiritual energy trail and confirmed the object was a ghost. He tried to will his group of eyes closer to get a better look, but the ghost was moving too fast for his eyes to keep up. He must have been voicing his frustrations from his central eye, because he heard someone respond.

* * *

Back in Plasmus's throne room, Eyevar's huge central eye opened. Standing in the shadows was a pair of glowing green eyes. Eyevar recognized them as Skulker's. It seemed Technus's repairs were complete. "You seemed to be having trouble."

"Yes!" Eyevar's central eye displayed the image of the ghost that he couldn't keep up with. "It is a ghost of some kind, but I can't get close enough for and identification."

Skulker chuckled. "Then I shall go and capture this creature. It will be a good opportunity to try out some of my new features."

Eyevar was hesitant. Neither Lord Plasmus nor his advisor, Red were around. And Skulker was hard enough to control when they were around. But something had to be done. "Very well, but you must try to keep your actions as hidden from the human's as possible. The master was very clear about keeping as low of a profile as we could until he was ready."

"Never fear, mutant. I will track and bag this ghost before anyone is the wiser." Eyevar gave Skulker the coordinates and the hunter quickly left for the Ghost Portal that led to the city.

* * *

Danny Phantom flew over the city on his final pass on his patrol. It was late and he had class tomorrow, but Jack had stressed the need to become more familiar with the city because he had never flown through it before. As he turned towards home, a puff of blue steam issued from his mouth. A ghost was nearby. Danny looked around and his green eyes spotted something charging down the street. From his vantage, he could make out what it was, but it was definitely ghostly. He quickly checked the watch he gotten from the future for signals from his parent's ghost tech. Nothing was in scanner range, so this was his problem. Danny shot downward and landed on the street. The ghost was charging at him at high speed. As it got closer, Danny finally got a good look at it. It was a large ghost wolf with black fur and dressed in green tattered clothing. Only the pants were intact. Unlike the previous ghost wolf, this one looked more humanoid shape.

"Great, a werewolf." Danny's hands exploded with green energy. "Come on wolfy!" As the werewolf reached him, he leapt over his head and continued on his path. Danny stood still for a moment, feeling both relief and slighted. "Guess I'm not that interesting." Deciding to follow the wolf until he found out what he was after, Danny flew off in pursuit.

It didn't take long, the wolf reached a rich looking building and instantly leapt up to the tenth story and phased through the wall. Danny heard a scream and quickly shot through the wall after the werewolf. He found himself in a bedroom and from the posters and pinkish bedspread, a girl's bedroom. A growl issued from the werewolf as it slowly approached a dark skinned teen that was curled up in the corner of the room. Danny recognized the girl as Valerie Gray, the girl who had confronted him at school earlier.

'_Well this isn't going to help my case much._'

Before Danny could even think about what to do, Valerie's dad burst through the door with a large wooden bat in hand. And of course he charges and swings, not at the big drooling wolf creature inching closer to his daughter, but at the floating teenager in black and white jumpsuit floating behind said creature.

"Hey, wait!" Danny phased as the bat flew at his head. Mr. Gray kept swinging despite the fact the bat was just flying through the phased teen.

"Stay away from my daughter!"

"I'm nowhere near your daughter."

"DADDY!" Valerie screamed as the werewolf was standing over her.

Danny shot past the man with the bat and stopped in-between the teen and ghost creature. The werewolf simply smacked him out of the way. He picked Valerie up in his arms and turned towards the window facing the street. The girl kicked and punched, but the creature's hold was firm. He roared and charged the window. Danny jumped up and wrapped his arms around the werewolf's neck and hung on as he busted through the window and fell towards the street. Apparently, this ghost couldn't fly, much to the dismay of Valerie. The creature landed on his two feet and luckily, absorbed the impact well.

Satisfied she wasn't dead, Valerie continued her struggles. "Let me go!"

Growling in annoyance, the werewolf dropped the girl and started reaching for the boy dangling on his back. He roared and jumped around as he tried to shake Danny off of his back. Between the razor sharp teeth and claws, Danny was content staying well clear of them. The werewolf stopped jumping and ran backward to slam Danny into a wall. The boy managed to phase as he was about to impact the wall and let go as he flew through it. The ghost spun around and sniffed the wall Danny had phased through. Satisfied, he turned toward the fleeing Valerie and begins to pursue. Just as about the werewolf was about to reach her, Danny shot out of the street and landed both of his fists to the jaw of the creature. The werewolf fell back but remained standing as Danny landed in front of him.

"Back off!" The response he got was a massive roar for the ghost werewolf.

Before the two could make a move, a trio of small missiles dropped from the sky and exploded in-between them. The two were blasted apart and looked up as a silver robot with black highlights slowly floated down from the sky. It had a skull-like face with a green glowing Mohawk that hung down its back. Two oval pods were attached to its back, a small black shield covered its left forearm and a large cannon was attached to its right. The skull-like face had a twisted smile on it.

"So we meet again boy."

The voice cut right through Danny. "Skulker!"

"You remember me despite my new body. I am flattered." Skulker landed on the street. "You are the only prey that has ever escaped me." He aimed his arm cannon at the boy. "Now to collect my prize." A green light glowed from the barrel of the cannon. "I'll go ahead and give you ten seconds to run."

"But you're going to fire at me while I run."

"Of course."

"Then I will go ahead and take you on. I am not the scared boy you hunted in The Ghost Zone."

"Oh you still are. You just need to be reminded." A roar issued behind Skulker and the hunter moved so the werewolf could join in. The three stood in a triangle, each waiting for an opening. Skulker chuckled. "And to think I thought this night would be boring." A loud siren broke the stalemate as a large silver vehicle appeared and charged right after them.

It was The Fenton RV. The three jumped clear as the RV shot through the spot they had been standing at. The pods on Skulker's back split open and revealed a pair of jet thrusters. The hunter flew into the air and opened fire on the RV with his arm cannon. Powerful blasts of green energy shot from the weapon and blasted against the RV. The vehicle spun around and a green dome of energy surrounds it. Skulker's blasts exploded against them harmlessly. A pair of turrets popped out of the roof of the RV and opened fire on Skulker. The ghost hunter had his own shields, but the blasts knocked him from the air and he fell to the street. The front of the vehicle slid open and a large cylinder slid out of it. A powerful blue vortex appeared from it and began to pull Skulker in. Acting quickly, Skulker threw out his left arm and a large metal cable shot from his shield. It wrapped around Danny's leg and Skulker flung him into the vortex. Danny yelled as he was sucked in and trapped in small storage tank in the RV. With the vortex occupied with capturing Danny, Skulker shot back into the sky and fired several more shots at the RV as he made his escape. All but forgotten, the ghost werewolf scooped up Valerie and ran off into the night.

The dome of energy vanished and Jack Fenton jumped out of the RV. "Dang it, only one out of the three." He patted the cylinder that still jutted out from the RV. "Need to figure out how to capture more than one ghost at a time."

"Hey!" Mr. Gray ran up and grabbed the front of Jack's jumpsuit. "That thing took my daughter."

"Is that the ghost that shot at me?"

"No, that furry one that ran off that way."

Jack looked at the direction the man was pointing. There was no ghost that he could see. "Don't worry. The ghost tracker should be able to find that thing in no time." Mr. Gray sighed in relief as Jack pulled out a device that looked like a metal detector. "Just need to find a sample of that creature's ecto energy. Shouldn't take longer than a week to sort it out from the all the other trace energy that is around."

"A week!" Mr. Gray's hopes sunk.

In side of the RV, Jack Sparrow appeared and looked at the storage unit in the back of the vehicle. "And I thought the brig was small." Jack pressed a few buttons and the unit slid open. In a flash of light, Danny appeared in front of him.

"Thanks."

"Was in the area, mate." Jack looked around. "Well I better get going. See you tomorrow." Jack Sparrow vanished.

Danny phased through the RV and unfortunately, appeared in front of his father. There was a moment of silence as the ghost teen and the ghost hunter stared at each other. Danny smiled and waved.

"GHOST!" A large silver blaster appeared in Jack's hand. Before he could fire, Danny phased through the street and left. He left a small tuff of black fur he had torn off the werewolf when he had been hanging on to him.

Jack picked up the fur and smiled. "Bingo!"

* * *

A fog bank rolled in as Kwan Sie led a small team of armored samurai through the forest. The high school football player was decked out in golden armor and had an impressive katana in his hand. Next to him was Dash Baxter, several inches shorter and in much less grand armor than Kwan. His voice was meek and he jumped whenever there was a rustling in the trees.

"Stop being so afraid of everything." Kwan's voice reeked with authority.

"Yes my lord!" Dash bowed so deeply his head hit the ground.

This was Kwan's favorite dream. He was leading a group of his ancestors in the famous Genpei War. As thy reached a clearing, he heard the sound of steel on steel behind him. Kwan turned and saw all of the samurai except one, laying on the ground. The samurai that was standing stood over a foot taller than Kwan and his armor was as black as charcoal. The samurai turned to face Kwan. His face was covered in a red demon mask.

A dark and echoing voice came from the samurai. "A pathetic dream by someone who only wanted to be popular so that he could feel like he belonged. You will never belong with that group you call friends. You are Dash's puppet and nothing more. If only your ancestors could see you." Ghost started to appear above the fallen warriors and began to close in on Kwan.

"Stay away!" Kwan's once might voice had shrunk to his normal one. He fell to the ground and tried to crawl away.

"Yes crawl, crawl away." The ghosts enveloped Kwan.

* * *

Kwan yelled and fell out of his bed. He looked around, but saw nothing but his room. "It was just a dream." Despite the fact he was tired, he didn't want to go back to sleep.


	28. Attack of the ghost werewolf pt2

Jack Fenton's pressed his foot hard on the accelerator of the RV as the radar display in the center of the console showed the general direction of the ghost werewolf. Linked with the GPS systems, it allowed Jack to plan his drive through the streets and keep on the shortest route. He had to hurry as the signal was on the edge of the radar's range. If the ghost manages to get out of the radar's range, it would take several minutes to recalibrate and the ghost would be long gone by then. Luckily, traffic was light and he was slowly closing the distance. He glanced over to his passenger, Mr. Gray was silently praying to himself with a very worried look on his face.

"Don't worry; we are closing on that creature that took your daughter."

"What does it want with my daughter?"

Jack shrugged. "I can think of only two possibilities. He wants to eat her or mate with her and create an unnatural horrible human/ghost hybrid."

Mr. Gray nearly threw up and started to pray louder. Danny who had been hiding in the back of the RV cringed and stepped back at the way his father described a human/ghost hybrid.

Jack realized what he said and tried to correct himself. "But I bet the ghost is just lonely and wants to talk to someone."

"But you said only two possibilities!"

"Did I say two? I meant three! Two very remote next to no chance of happening possibilities and one that will most likely happen." Jack put on his best grin. "All we have to worry if the creature stops." A loud beep came from the radar. The ghost had stopped and was only about two miles ahead of them. Mr. Gray looked at Jack with a sullen face. Jack shifted gears. "We'll be there in about fifteen minutes. What can happen in fifteen minutes?"

* * *

The ghost werewolf leapt the wall that surrounded the park and quickly dashed toward the heavily wooded area of it. He dropped Valerie on the ground and sniffed around to see if there was anyone else around. Satisfied, he turned towards the girl and growled. Valerie quickly crawled away and leaned against a tree.

"What do you want?"

The creature started to approach her, and licked his teeth. Valerie was going to scream, but a metal cord wrapped around his throat and ripped him off of his feet. The ghost werewolf was slammed into a tree and fell to the ground. The cord was attached to the shield of Skulker. The metallic ghost had a grin on his skull-like face.

"Nothing escapes The Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter." Yellow energy shot through the cable and shocked the werewolf. "And I have the perfect spot to hang your pelt." He spotted Valerie trying to sneak away. He leveled his arm cannon at her. "I'm sure I can find a place for your skull on my mantle."

As the cannon powered up, the werewolf leapt up and clamped his jaws around the barrel of the cannon. A loud crunching sound filled the air as the powerful jaws of the werewolf crushed the barrel. A warning alarm went off as the cannon began to overload.

"No, you fool." Skulker managed to smack the werewolf off of him. The cannon detached from Skulker's right arm and he flung it into the air. The cannon exploded and lit up the area. "So much for keeping a low profile."

He held up his now weaponless right arm. A large metal blue blade slid out of his forearm. He turned to the werewolf and to his dismay; the creature had chewed through the metal cable. The werewolf roared and glowing green claws appeared on his fingers. He charged the hunter who blocked with his shield. The claws sparked as they clashed against the metal shield. Skulker booster jets activated and used them to put several feet in-between him and the werewolf. He looked at his shield and found it covered in scratch marks. Those claws were strong enough to leave marks in harden steel.

"Not bad for a mutt."

Ports on his shoulders opened up and a pair of large cylinders rose out of his shoulders and turned to point at the werewolf. They sparkled and fired green bolts of energy. The werewolf leapt back, but the blasts from the bolts hitting the ground knocked him to the ground. Before the werewolf could stand, Skulker fired another round that impacted him fully in the chest. The blasts sent the ghost skidded across the ground and smacking into a tree. Smoke rose from his chest and had stopped moving.

"I hope I didn't scorch my new prize too much." A small glass eye piece slid out of the side of his head and covered his left eye. The powerful scanner showed detailed readings of the ghost werewolf. He was still alive in the ghost meaning of the word, but his energy readings were low. It was doubtful he would be moving soon. "Now for the girl." Skulker looked around and found the girl running as best she could across the uneven ground barefoot. The shoulder cannons were too powerful for this task, so he took to the air and landed in the girl's path. He grabbed her shoulder with his left hand and lifted her off the ground.

Valerie tried kicking free and yelled as she bruised her foot on his metal arm. "Why are all you freaks after me?"

"I can't speak for the furry one, but all I want is to add a new trophy to my mantel. You just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." He brought the blade on his right arm up to her neck. "Now try not to squirm, I don't want to accidently cleave you head in half."

As he started to move the blade, the werewolf lunged out of nowhere and landed on Skulker's chest. His claws on his feet dug into the stomach area while his repeatedly slashed at the chest and face of the metal body. Skulker dropped Valerie and tried to remove the creature from him. "Enough!" The shoulder cannons fired and blasted the werewolf off of Skulker. He landed on the ground in front of Valerie and sparkled green. He slowly shrank and transformed into a dark skinned teen in torn green pajamas.

"Tucker Foley?" Valerie couldn't believe her eyes.

Skulker was annoyed. His metal body was covered in slash marks and the perfect face he had designed was ruined. And now he was denied a perfectly good pelt for his collection. He aimed his shoulder cannons and switched them to full power. "I've had enough of this game. Neither of you are worth my time or my collection." The cannons glowed with power. "Maybe I will hunt you as ghosts."

He laughed as the cannons fired large beams of energy. Before they hit, Danny Phantom appeared in front of Valerie and Tucker. He held his hands out and a green shield of energy formed. The beams impacted the shield and his hands began to shake as Skulker continued to pour on the power. After a few moments, the cannons began to smoke and exploded. Skulker stumbled back as his shoulder smoked. Danny dropped to his knees, turned back into a human, and slumped to the ground. Valerie looked at the scene before her and promptly fainted.

"Damn, that boy." He was down to less than twenty percent power, but he wasn't going to leave when they were helpless. He transferred all power to his hydraulics and readied his arm blade. He took a step forward and was blasted by laser beam.

"Prepare for your doom you ectoplasmic monsters." Jack ran into view with Mr. Gray. Both held large silver weapons. They opened fire on the robotic ghost. With no power to his jets, Skulker had no choice but take the blasts full on. The beams blasted off his right arm and he tried to shield his head with his shield on his left arm. All of a sudden, the blasts stopped and the area was silent. Skulker looked up and found himself staring into the very angry eyes of Vlad Plasmus.

"Hey boss."

Plasmus placed his hand on Skulker's chest and fired a deep purple beam that blasted a hole through his chest. Skulker's body shut down and he fell to the ground. Ignoring the complaints from the ghost trapped in the head of the body, Plasmus turned towards Red and Technus. Jack and Mr. Gray were on the ground, sleeping thanks to Technus's sleeping gas bomb.

"Can you fix this, Red?"

"I can tweak their memories so that they don't know the boys' identies. But this entire incident will take more time than we have. The authorities will be here soon."

Plasmus sighed and nodded. "Do your best. We will take one of those Fenton Thermoses from the RV and put a few minor ghosts in it. That will cover them. Technus, get the boys to their homes once Red is finished."

"Don't you want me to run some tests on the wolf boy?"

"Not now! There will be plenty of time for that later."

Red bent down next to the Valerie. "What about the girl?"

Plasmus chuckled. "I have something special for her."

* * *

Valerie jumped to her feet and screamed. She was in her dining room. She was still dressed in her pajamas. Her feet hurt and when she checked them, they were raw from running on the ground. She sat down at the table and held her head in her hands. "What did that ghost do to me?"

"Things better left forgotten." Vlad Masters walked into her view.

Valerie knew who he was and for some reason, not freaked out by the fact he was in her apartment. "Mister Masters."

"Yes! I heard about what that ghost did to you and had to come over. You're lucky that The Fentons showed up when they did."

"But aren't they the ones responsible for the ghosts being here?"

"No! This city is a spiritually enclosed area. Ghost are naturally attracted this city. The Fentons have served as a shield and thus prevented the worst of it. But now we need a sword to fight these ghosts. A sword who can find what ghost who is rallying the ghosts to violence, we will have peace once again."

"Why are you telling me?"

"You have what it takes to be the sword this city needs. I will outfit you with the weapons and technology you will need to take the fight to the ghosts. Plus you can get your revenge on them for everything they have done to you and your family."

Valerie remembered the ghost attacks and clenched her fists. "Yes! I will take down all those ghost, especially the one who leads them."

"Good! You will be the sword and The Fentons will be the shield. Everything is in your room. Just use the voice command Annihilation." Vlad bowed and exited the apartment.

Valerie went into her room and spoke the word. One side of the room flashed and slid open. A small room with a large computer was in front of her. A rack was next to the computer with a big arsenal of anti-ghost weapons. Valerie smiled and walked into to take inventory.

* * *

Vlad floated at her window and smiled as Valerie looked over her new equipment. He had bought the next store apartment to give Valerie her hidden room. This would keep everyone distracted until his plan was ready. Vlad flew off into the night.


	29. Problems on the Horizon

Jack Sparrow had been starring down Clockwork ever since he had gotten to the clock tower that floated in an unknown section of the ghost zone. A hard thing to do because Clockwork's child, adult, and ancient forms were at different heights. Jack's neck hurt from constantly moving his head to match the eye level of Clockwork's changing forms. The incident in the park had been two days ago and no one remembered what really happened. Tucker hadn't transformed since that night and Valerie was practicing with her new weapons. Soon she would figure she was ready to start her battle with ghosts and if Tucker transformed again, things weren't looking good for Danny.

"How long are you going to make me play ignorant to the dangers that boy is facing?"

"We have been over this a thousand times. If I stopped freezing time for our arguments, it would be close to a decade that would have passed. We are doing all that we can."

"I can't believe you can float there with all that power and say that." Jack shook his head. "No, I can believe it. You're just a coward."

Clockwork's form stopped in his adult form and his eyes narrowed. "Don't press me Jack! I've overlooked you bending the rules because is usually served the greater good and didn't affect the timeline. But what you ask is impossible."

"I don't get you. You know everything that has happened and will happen. You want to stop The Great Disaster. Then just let me walk into Plasmus's little compound and I will put an end to all this. Problem solved, savvy?"

"Then you will condem us both to our doom."

Jack's eyebrow rose up. "Come again?"

Clockwork face went grim. "I have avoided telling you this, but as you have been my agent for longer than any other." Clockwork floated into the air. "You and I exist to protect the fabric of time. A grand task that grants us great power, but with a grave limitation. If we interfere with the course of events to a great degree, we will lose our powers and all the time we have skipped will catch up with us in a matter of seconds."

Jack touched his face and tried to image two centuries of age on his looks. "Not very appealing no matter how you look at it."

"You are my agent and thus can be more flexible in your dealings in events, but you still must not interfere to extremes. Even just training Danny was a risk. The future is clouded to me because of what is on the horizon and we must step carefully. Plasmus seeks power and dominance, but I don't know if he is The Great Disaster that is liming before us. He is a piece on the board, but which one is still unknown. He might even be instrumental in stopping the disaster."

"So all we know is that the boy may or may not be able to stop it."

Clockwork nodded. "Precisely!"

Jack sighed and nodded. "Whatever you say. What about Tucker?"

"Find what triggers his transformations and you may tell Danny everything you know about it. As for a cure, I am afraid you're on your own."

"Better than nothing I guess." Jack turned and left.

* * *

**Plasmus's Compound.**

Plasmus only had one word for what was before him. "Beautiful!"

The vehicle that Technus had built based on Jack Fenton's design was finished. Over sixty feet long, it looked like a streamlined silver train. It was covered in weapons and other devices. Behind it was four very large turbo engines and a large rectangular container attached to it.

Technus patted the vehicle. "Say hello to The Spectral Assault Train. Two tons of pure technological power. I followed those designs you provided me, plus added a few things of my own."

"And the power source?"

Technus stepped aside and showed him a table. On the table was a metal stand with a green glowing crystal on it. The light wasn't as intense as Plasmus remembered. "I have managed to stabilize the crystal and thus reduce the generator that is needed to contain it. But don't worry, the power I can draw from it is nearly double what that lab could. It's amazing this thing was found in a meteor crash site."

Plasmus patted Technus on the back. "You have outdone yourself once again. If only all my helpers were as successful as you and Red. Is it ready to be installed?"

"Yes, I thought you would want to do the honors."

"You thought correctly." Plasmus carefully picked up the green crystal. The pulse of energy from it felt like a little heartbeat in his hands. "Such power, this will play a large role in my future plans." He walked into Assault Train and stepped up to the small chamber that would hold the crystal. He opened the armored door and placed the crystal on the custom built stand. There was a hum as power flowed from the crystal and into the generator attached to it. Plasmus smiled as lights flickered on and the various screens glowed. He closed the armored door and stepped out of the train. "Pack your bags, we move tomorrow!"

Red rushed Plasmus's side as he walked out of the lab. "My lord, are you sure it is wise to leave so soon?"

"The window of opportunity will open only for a short time. I must have all the pieces required before then."

"I understand that, but you have more than a few experiments that still need your attention. Plus we have not yet convinced some of the more powerful ghosts in Amity Park to join you. Who knows what they will do in your absence."

"That is why I manipulated that girl and continually fund my most hated enemy. Plus this will be a perfect opportunity to test the boy further."

"But it is a dangerous risk! Your powerbase hasn't been fortified yet."

Plasmus stopped walking and turned to his advisor. "I have taken ever precaution. Eyevar will keep an eye on things in the city and no one can penetrate this fortress."

Seeing there was nothing he could do to change his master's mind, Red bowed. "As you command. But what about the punk and his girl?"

"I will finalize those experiments before we leave. They will need a few days afterward for the processes to take full effect. Now prepare for our journey!"

"Yes my lord."

* * *

Plasmus left the next day, taking most of his followers with him. Those left behind were either those needed to watch over Plasmus's holdings or the ones he didn't want to take with him. The Box Ghost was one of those ghosts. Felling snubbed, he left the compound to vent far from Eyevar's ever watchful gaze. He wandered through Amity Park, muttering to himself.

"How could he not take the lord of the cardboard, the master of the square? I am the Box Ghost and should be feared and respected."

As he floated past an alleyway, a shadowy arm grabbed him by the neck and pulled him into it. The Box Ghost was looking into the face of some kind of ghost surrounded by a black shadow. He couldn't see any features, but the grip on his neck was real enough.

"Is it true?" The voice from the shadow sounded like a deep echo.

The Box Ghost tried sound unafraid, but failed and his voice came out as meek as it could be. "What?"

"Has that upstart Plasmus left for The Ghost Zone?"

"I'll never tell." A small chuckle issued from the shadow and the squeezing increased. The Box Ghost quickly changed his mind. "Yes! But I don't know where or why. He just said he would be gone for several days."

The shadow paused as it considered this information. "How many did he take with him?"

"Almost everyone, of course he left me, his most trusted friend behind to watch over things."

"Right!" A green smoke issued from the shadow and engulfed the ghost. The shadow released The Box Ghost. The ghost curled into a ball and was fast asleep. "So the upstart has left this city unattended. A trap I wonder?" The shadow began to disappear into the ground. "A trap maybe, but an opportunity I cannot afford to miss. When that upstart returns, he will have a surprise waiting for him."

* * *

Two days and no ghost attacks made Danny both relieved and nervous. The city had been unusually peaceful over the weekend and thus he had gotten to enjoy uninterrupted training sessions with Jack. His command over the simplest of his abilities had improved to the point where it was almost natural. The Ring of Varda had focused his powers well and as he mastered the basics; he was finding different abilities to use. Yawning, he crawled into bed after a long day of training and long afternoon of patrol. He pulled off the gold ring and looked at the blood red ruby.

"Hard to believe you were made for a vampire." He opened the small drawer on his nightstand and dropped the ring into it. "School tomorrow!" Danny sighed as his head hit the pillow. He yawned again and drifted to sleep.

A loud crash shook Danny for his sleep and he sat up, he wasn't in his room. He was sitting on a moss covered ground in the middle of a dark forest. The trees were twisted and looked half rotted. He looked up, but found nothing but branches with dark green leaves blocking the sky. Danny transformed into his ghost form and jumped to his feet.

"Alright, what part of The Ghost Zone is this?"

"Oh we aren't in the zone." A shadow flew from the trees and smashed against the ground. It transformed into a green tiger with yellow snake-like eyes. "This is just where I take my special guests in my world." The voice sounded like a cat's growl.

"Your world?"

The tiger purred. "So naive to what is around you?" The tiger moved closer and slowly circled Danny. "This is The Dream Realm for lack of a better word. This is the world of dreams." The tiger's form melted into shadows and reformed into Paulina. She wore a black low cut dress. She smiled and scratched Danny's chin. "Oh how I wished I knew why Plasmus is so interested in you." Her voice was exactly like Paulina.

"You know Plasmus?"

"By reputation only." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "He is trying to form some kind of army with grand plans to take over the city."

"Why the city?"

Paulina put her finger over Danny's lips to quiet him. "Enough about that." She leaned forward to kiss him. Danny was more than happy to follow suit. Before their lips met, Paulina burst into black smoke. The smoke flowed around Danny and reformed into a version of Dash. His voice changed to Dash's. "Of course this is also a place of nightmares."

Danny jumped away from him and his hands glowed with green energy. "Who or what are you?"

"So many questions?" The form of Dash faded and the voice changed to an echo. "But we have time."


	30. Master of Dreams pt 1

Danny stood in a small cage that swung from one of the large trees. The ghost that had captured him stood below him. Danny still didn't know the ghost's name or what gender it was. Right now, it was in the form of his father Jack Fenton.

"So what makes you so special?"

"You've been asking me that question for hours. What answer do you want?"

"An answer that satisfies me, boy." It's form shifted to a black crow and it flew up and landed on top of the cage. "Your dreams reveal many forces that are interested you. I will find out what makes you so special." The ghost shifted into the form of a gorilla. It swung down and gripped to the side of the cage. "Now, what are you afraid of I wonder."

"Someone will come for me. You can't keep me here forever."

The ghost transformed into a spitting image of Jack Sparrow. "You mean that pirate that has been training you." He laughed and snapped his fingers. A cloud of black smoke appeared behind him and an image appeared inside it. It was of Amity Park. It was covered by a greenish fog. "The fog you see is my special sleeping gas. Thanks to all the excess spiritual energy in this city, I was able to blanket most of it. Soon all of the city will sleep forever."

"You're bluffing!"

The pirate laughed. "You will soon see." The cloud vanished and Jack transformed into Tucker. "This people of this city are now in my world and soon, I will have enough power to bring their nightmares to life."

"Leave my friends out of this!" Danny tried to go intangible, but his powers weren't working.

"I think not! Your friends are having some of the more interesting dreams." Tucker's eyes narrowed. "Someone is off my grid. This is annoying." He smiled and melted into a black mist. "I will return shortly to continue our conversation. If you won't tell me what I want to know, I will simply terrify it out of you." He vanished and Danny was left alone.

"There has to be someone still awake who can help."

* * *

Back in Danny's room, his body struggled and his eyes opened up. They had turned from blue to red. "I have got a pounding headache." His voice had gotten a few degrees deeper. He sat up and smirked. "So Danny isn't here right now." He clenched his fist and it exploded with green energy. "But the body is much more powerful than the last time." Dan jumped out of bed and transformed into his ghost form. He went intangible and checked on the other family members. Each was asleep and seemingly having a nightmare of some sort. "Something funny is going on here."

* * *

Across the city, Amber transformed into Ember in her sleep. Ember sat up and looked around. "Amber?" She grabbed her robe and headed to Zack's room. The injured bass player was sound asleep. She walked up to his sleeping form and smacked him. He didn't wake up or budge. "Wake up!" Ember slapped him across the face three times. His face was red and he was still snoring. She heard strange sounds outside and went to the window. A green fog covered the ground and she could see some strange looking things moving about. "What is going on around here?"

* * *

A shadow flew across the sky and flowed through the window of Sam Manson's bedroom. The girl was sleeping soundly which didn't please the shadow at all. She was clearly asleep due to the sleeping gas, but had been blocked from The Dream Realm. The shadow focused and sensed the source of the block. The girl was wearing a bracelet with an unusual aura about it. The shadow removed it from her wrist and found her mind slowly opening up to The Dream Realm. Satisfied the shadow melted away.

Sam found herself standing in the middle of the destroyed hallway of the old high school. The walls were burnt and the ceiling was partially caved in. The sky that shown through the holes was red with dark clouds. Sam started to walk and found the debris strategically placed to lead her to the gymnasium, or what was left of it. The floor had been cleared away and a ghost stood at the center. Its body seemed to be composed of a night sky and it head was purple with a pair of curved horns.

"That's new!"

"Ah, you have arrived." A pair of clawed arms appeared out of its body. It raised them to motion to their surroundings. "Please forgive the location, I prefer a dark and depressing backdrop."

Sam shrugged. "That makes two of us. So who are you and why are you in my dream?"

The ghost's eyes flashed red. "My name is Nocturn, and I am the ruler of The Dream Realm." He floated over to Sam. "I thought this city would be just another source of energy, but I have found so much more. The dream energy I am pulling is allowing me to solidify the nightmares of this city into reality."

Sam sighed and crossed her arms. "And use them to take over the world."

"Oh, I plan on taking over so much more. My sleep gas is slowly creeping its way around the globe as we speak. I will turn this planet into a dream battery to fuel my conquest of The Ghost Zone. Whoever controls the zone controls every world in existence."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Nocturn patted her on the head. "I know what you are. You are one of the Oracles."

"You know about that!"

"I am several centuries old. I know much about them. You're still too young, but when your powers fully develop, they will allow me to pull in dream energy from multiple worlds at once. And the ability to see the future will give me the perfect advantage over anyone who would dare get in my way."

Sam quickly distanced herself form the ghost. "Like I would help you."

"Oh but you will dear girl. I'd admit, you will be harder to break than the average mind, but everyone is deathly afraid of something. And finding that something is the part I truly enjoy." Sam turned and took off in a run. Nocturn smiled as he watched her. "Wander the ever changing landscape of my realm for a while. Maybe the nightmares of your friends will weaken you resolve. I have other matters to attend to for the moment."

* * *

Dan flew through the night sky of Amity Park as he watched the strangest things roaming around. A green fog clung to the streets and buildings caused Dan some concern, but when he landed on a rooftop. The fog didn't seem to affect him. It seemed the entire city was asleep save for him and the creatures roaming around. He had seen a large verity of what could be best described as nightmares come to life, everything from a giant squid like ghost to a creepy clown with a talking rubber chicken. Nothing particularly scary, but certainly creepy enough. He had been following a strange feeling in the back of his mind that seemed to be leading him somewhere. Maybe the source of all this madness he was seeing. Dan heard a guitar playing a few blocks away.

"That is the first piece of good music I've heard."

Dan followed the sound and spotted a teenage girl dressed in leather standing off with a green and blue apelike thing. All she had in her hands was a red guitar. Curious, Dan made no move to help her. The apelike creature roared and charged. The girl ran her fingers across the glowing strings of her guitar. A blue shockwave of energy issued from the guitar and blasted the creature apart. The parts burst into black vapor and vanished. The teen turned sharply as Dan started clapping.

"Nicely done. Since you're still awake and these things don't seem to think of you as a friend, am guessing you're a half ghost too."

"So?"

Dan chuckled. "So, I think I'm interested." Dan landed on the street next to her. "What is your story?"

"Like I would tell you anything." She held her fingers over the strings. "How do I know you aren't one of these things roaming around?"

"You really can't tell. Open your senses up. These things are hallow inside."

"Your full of something, I'll give you that. Any idea what is going on around here?"

"Everyone in town is sleeping save for us and these things are coming from their minds. Saw one appear near a cop who fell asleep on a sidewalk. Normally I would find this a great chance to have some fun, but I'm thinking something bigger is going on here."

"Can't disagree with you there. I've been having this feeling that there is something powerful over near the east side of town."

"Then let's make a date of it. Name is Dan Phantom."

"Ember McLain. And if you touch me, I will kill you."

"You're not deterring me. But I will respect your space." A massive group of creatures started to gather at the far end of the street. "Because I have a feeling I'll need the extra help."

* * *

Nocturn appeared on a stage of some sort. It took him only a moment to realize it was in the same destroyed school building that Sam had dreamed up. The problem was there was a thick gray fog that covered much of the surroundings. The ghost spotted a girl dressed in black with a guitar in her hands facing towards the area where and audience would normally be. The area was covered in the thick gray fog. Nocturn instantly recognized the handy work of a well know ghost.

"So Red has been here and hidden some parts of her memory." Some of the fog retreated and reviled portions of the room the stage was in. "And her mind is trying to piece is back together." Curious about why Red had gone to such lengths to hide whatever is in this girl's mind, Nocturn decided to probe deeper. The girl was completely unaware of his presence.

Suddenly she cried out and dropped the guitar. "My head!" She grabbed her head as smoke and small flickers of fire formed around her.

"Ah yes!" Nocturn smiled. "A traumatic event should help me push past those mental blocks." His eyes glowed purple as he forced more of what was locked in the girl's mind to appear in her dream. The fires roared to life and started to engulf everything around the stage. The fires swirled around Nocturn, but he had little to fear from them. The girl turned in time for a wall of blue fire to explode in front of her. She was knocked off the stage and onto the floor below. As the fire began to surround her, a male voice shouted from an archway on the far side of the room.

"Amber!"

"Zack!" The girl seemed somewhat relieved when a blond haired teen in a leather coat appeared.

Nocturn chuckled. "Oh the brave rescuer, how boring." He waved his hand and the teen vanished. "Less memory and more fright." The fire doubled in intensity. "What is it that was so important to hide?" Amber covered her head and Nocturn felt the terror she was experiencing beginning to breakdown the mental blocks. A black shadow appeared outside the circle of flames. It was slowly taking the shape of something human shaped. He felt a flood of memories begin to reshape the surroundings. "Yes!"

His concentration was broken when he heard a sound. It sounded roughly like a jet engine. He turned in time for a round object to shatter through the shadow that had been changing shape. The object entered the fire and a large vortex of wind appeared. Nocturn solidified his form to keep from being swept up into it. The vortex and the fire vanished and a creature now stood in between Nocturn and Amber.

Nocturn's eyes narrowed. "A giant mouse?"

With the fire and the pressure she had felt on her mind gone, Amber sat up. "A blue porcupine?"

The creature was blue and stood just under five feet. He wore red and white sneakers, white gloves, and had sharp blue quills. "That's hedgehog!" He quickly swiped his thumb across his nose. "Sonic the Hedgehog!"


	31. Master of Dreams pt 2

Nocturn had seen a lot of strange things in his centuries as lord of dreams. The mortal mind did some weird things when it was in the dream realm, but a talking blue hedgehog coming to the defense of a Goth rocker girl. This was definitely was on the top of the list.

"What are you doing here, rodent? There is nothing in this girl's mind that comes close to you."

"Are you sure? Girls usually find me cute."

Nocturn's eyes narrowed as he tried to scan the hedgehog's mind. "You are not a part of this dream; your mind is not here. How is this possible?"

Sonic chuckled. "How about we talk about how quickly I am going to take you down?"

"Foolish creature." Nocturn's form melted and reformed into a large lizard like creature that drooled green spittle that ate through the floor when it dripped on it. "My powers are not limited to the dreams of my victims. Since you are not officially a part of this dream, I will simply remove you from it."

Sonic tapped his foot for a moment and considered what stood in front of him. "Ah, rain check!" He scooped up Amber. "Time to juice." He shot out of the room.

"Run as fast as you can. You can never escape from my grasp." Black tendrils appeared from his feet and shot after the pair.

Amber for her part didn't like being rescued. "Put me down you idiot!"

"You might not want me to."

Amber looked past his shoulder and spotted the tendrils growing after them. "Run faster."

"As you wish!" Sonic turned a corner and sped up. They were heading down a hallway that seemed endless. Lockers covered each side of the hall.

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"I was running across South Island when I went by a door just standing in the middle of a grassy field. Smoke was coming from it and I heard screaming."

"I wasn't screaming, I was yelling."

"What is the difference?"

"Only little girls and wimps scream."

A rumble filled the hallway and lockers started to shoot out of the walls in attempts to crush them. Sonic skillfully avoid the attacks and laughed as the lockers crushed the tendrils behind them. A large section of wall slid out from the wall and blocked their path. Only a small opening at the top and bottom was left. Sonic tossed Amber over the block and rolled under it. He caught the girl and continued running.

"Don't do that again."

Sonic shrugged and motioned her to look forward. A door had appeared in the middle of the endless hallway. "It looks just like the door I entered to get here."

"Anywhere is better than here. Go for it!" Amber hung onto the hedgehog's neck as he shot for the door. As the door began to open, black tendrils began erupting from the lockers around them. Sonic jumped through the doorway.

* * *

The wall of nightmare creatures fell back under the onslaught of Dan and Ember. No two of the creatures were the same, but fortunately, none of them were very strong. But their numbers were beginning to wear the pair down. Dan slammed his fists down and a shield of red energy formed. The creatures slammed into it, trying to break through.

"There is no end to these things." Dan glanced down the street they had traveled. The creatures exploded into green gas when destroyed. The gas seemed to merge with the green fog that was everywhere. Forms began to appear in the deeper parts of the fog. "They are reforming."

Ember clenched her right fist. Her fingers were beginning to turn red from all the guitar riffs that she had been playing. "We've been at this for almost two hours. Are we even close to the source of these things?"

Dan looked around; they had just passed through downtown and were in an area dominated by apartment buildings. "Not yet. I'm guessing our target is around the docks."

"We will be lucky to make it past the park at this rate." Ember turned and played a tune that sent several ghostly green fists at the group of creatures that had formed behind them.

A loud howl echoed through the street. Both half-ghosts were shaken and the creatures cleared the area. A large furry shadow appeared in the fog. It slowly walked into view. It was a large black werewolf with green claws and smoking green eyes. Dan gulped slightly and summoned energy around his hands. The ghostly werewolf roared and lunged at them.

"Down!" Ember's voice echoed with power and authority. To Dan's surprised, the werewolf skidded to a halt. Its long nose just inches from Ember's face. Ember crossed her arms and her eyes flashed blue. "Sit!" The werewolf sat down on the street. She smiled and scratched him behind his ear. A low growl issued from his throat as his tail began to wag. "Dan, I think we might just make it to the docks."

* * *

Sam ran with all she had, but quickly realized she wasn't getting anywhere. The ruined hallway of the school had melted away and she was now running on a pinkish road. All around her was just endless red colored sky, dotted with stars. Thousands of doors floated around her. She reached out for one, but it floated out of reach. Another one appeared right in front of her. This one was made of black wood and looked like it belonged on a boat. Sam opened the door and stepped through. She found herself in a cave full of piles of gold and other treasures.

"Ah Sam!" A familiar voice pulled her attention to a large golden bathtub. Jack Sparrow was sitting in it with a beautiful woman with blond hair scrubbing his back. "Sorry to interrupt Nocturn's big plans for you, but I though a few words of wisdom would be needed."

Sam walked up to the tub and noticed the water in it was red. "This is Nocturn's idea of a nightmare?"

"No doubt his idea of my perfect dream to keep me quiet. Failed miserably thou."

"This isn't you perfect dream?"

Jack motioned to the red water. "I'm bathing in rum. I can't drink it after my body has been in it. Just isn't right."

Sam sighed and shook her head. "So what is really going on?"

"Nocturn's army of nightmare shades are slowly forming in the real world. He can be defeated here in the dream realm, the place of his greatest power and his greatest weakness."

"He seems pretty powerful here."

"This world is all about the mind. It is the ultimate weapon and you are the perfect person to wield it. You can enter the dreams of others and turn their nightmares against Nocturn."

"How?"

"Not a clue. But I know you'll figure out. Wish I could help, but Clockwork had banned me from interfering with anything that isn't a temporal issue. And time has no meaning here. Days here could be mere seconds in the waking world."

"Thanks Jack."

"Excuse me?"

"Thank you Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Be careful, love. People can dream up some pretty strange things."

Sam's eyebrow rose as she looked around one more time. "Couldn't tell." Jack simple shrugged. Sam smiled and walked back towards the door. She opened the door and stepped though. It shut and vanished.

Jack grabbed a small cup and filled it with some of the rum he was sitting in. He took a sip and promptly spit it out. "What a waste."

* * *

Danny through his shoulder into the side of his hanging cage in an attempt to knock it free of the tree it was hanging. All he got for his efforts was a bruised shoulder and motion sickness from the swinging cage.

"Are the accommodations not to your liking?" A large black snake slithered down the chain and coiled around the top of the cage.

"This game is getting boring. Who are you and what do you really want from me?"

"Answers and nothing more." The snake dropped to the ground and formed into a spitting image of Danny. "Your mind is a jumble of things I can't understand. Normally a good scare will provide me the answers I seek, but something powerful keeps me from digging it up. Something more powerful than an oracle's mind and Red's mental blocks. Tell me or I will begin to use my usual tactics."

"How do you know about Red?"

Nocturn smiled. "How about a deal? You answer one of my questions and I'll answer one of yours."

"What would keep you from plunging me into a nightmare after you learn what you want?"

"Nothing! But if I am pleased by your answers, I'll let you and your friends live out your lives in a paradise rather than their worst dreams."

"Show me who you are and we have a deal."

The form of Danny shifted to a ghost with a body that was composed of a night sky and his head was purple with a pair of curved horns. "I am Nocturn, lord of The Dream Realm. Now on to my questions."

* * *

Sam found herself back on the pinkish pathway after leaving Jack Sparrow's dream. She had her choice of doors. Grabbing a handle at random, she opened the door. Through the archway she could see it sat at one of the end zones for a football stadium. The stadium was full of people who were laughing at something at the center of the field. She looked over and spotted Dash, naked save for a football he was using to cover himself. She quickly slammed the door closed and stepped away from it.

"No amount of therapy will ever make that right." She looked around. "Need to find Tucker's or Danny's door." She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. Most of the doors around her vanished. When she opened her eyes, only about a dozen remained. She opened one a crack and peeked in. It was a small cliff that overlooked a rocky plain. She walked onto the cliff and looked over it.

"HELP!" Tucker's voice echoed around her.

He ran into view being chased by a pair of fighter jets. One of the jets transformed into a giant robot. Its clawed hand reached out and grabbed the teen by the back of his underwear. "Face the wrath of Starscream's super wedgie." Tucker screamed as he was lifted off of his feet.

The other jet transformed into a robot. "Don't hog all the fun. He still must suffer Megatron's pink belly of doom."

Sam couldn't believe her eyes. "At least he is wearing clothes." She winced as Tucker's underwear tore. He dropped to the ground and took off in a run. "Need to figure out how to help him."

Tucker kept running until a large red and blue semi blocked his path. It was flanked by a yellow muscle car and a black truck. Tucker sighed with relief. "Optimus Prime!"

"Autobots!" A loud voice issued from the semi. "Transform and kick this nerd's butt."

Tucker stepped back in horror as the vehicles in front of him transformed into robots. He started to scream again, but a black sports car with green trim drove up and stopped in between him and the autobots. Its driver side door opened. "Get in!" Sam's voice issued from the car.

"Sam?" Tucker paused until the stomping of the two jet robots issued closer. He dove into the car and shut the door. The car sped clear of the machines. They transformers shouted as they switched to their vehicle modes and gave chase.

"Buckle up!"

Tucker quickly complied and looked around the leather interior. "Is this really you Sam?"

"Yeah! A ghost called Nocturn is controlling our dreams. We have to find Danny and stop him."

"How did you turn yourself into this?"

"I was trying to figure out a way to save you and this happened. You need to get a handle on your dream."

"Right!" Tucker smiled and reached for the steering wheel.

"Hands off!"

"Sorry!"

The car rocked as Sam swerved to avoid a missile impact in their path. The jets had caught up and had opened fire. "Now Tucker!" Sam slammed on the breaks as several missiles exploded in front of them. Tucker stepped out of the car. Sam transformed from a car to a tall and lean robot. Her right hand turned into a plasma cannon. "This is your dream. You need to take control." The pursing transformers stopped several feet away and transformed into their robot forms.

Tucker closed his eyes. "Got to take control." He repeated this phrase over and over again.

Sam backed up as all the bots aimed various weapons at her. "Tucker?" The ground rumbled and a shadow fell over her and the transformers. Sam turned to look as the other robots backed away. Tucker had turned into a huge robot with large glowing cannons for arms.

"Omega Tucker Supreme!" He aimed his arms at the transformers. Larges bolts of blue energy issued from them. The transformers quickly retreated out of sight. "Nice." Tucker shrunk down and he was his normal self again.

"Good work." Sam turned back to her regular form. "You had me worried there."

"Not a problem. No one controls this fine mind. So what now?" A door appeared behind him.

"I'll fill you in on the way." Sam led him through the door and onto the pinkish path. Tucker's door vanished. "We just need to find Danny's door."

"Sounds simple." Tucker reached for a door and started to open it.

"Wait, you need to be careful." Sam tried to shut it, but it was suddenly forced open by a blue object that crashed into Tucker. Sam looked in and saw a mass of black tendrils coming at her. Sam slam the door shut and it vanished.

"Sam!" Amber stood up and walked over to her friend. "Finally someone normal."

"Normal?"

Amber pointed to her companion. A blue hedgehog was on the ground with Tucker hugging his leg. "Sonic the Hedgehog, I can't believe you're here. Can I have your autograph? What is it like to run at the speed of sound?" Questions continued to pour out of Tucker's mouth.

The hedgehog glanced up at the girls. "Help."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Thank you for reading and reviewing my story. I am thankful so many people have enjoyed my take on Danny Phantom Universe. Thank you again.


	32. Master of Dreams pt 3

Nocturn watched Sam led her party through a glowing portal he had cut into the air. "Two girls, a nerd, and a hedgehog have managed to break free from my nightmares. This is a new level of ridiculousness."

Danny laughed from his cage. "Things not quite working out for you? Why don't you let me out of here and give up?"

"Silence boy! My grip on the waking world is growing ever tighter. This is merely a minor speed bump in my plans." Nocturn smiled as his hands started to glow. "If they thought their own personal nightmares were to tame, let's see how they deal with others." Energy surged from his hands and enveloped the portal.

* * *

A group of nightmare creatures broke apart as the ghost werewolf tore through them. Traces of energy sparked from his claws. Dan and Ember appeared close behind him. They had reached the docks and the number of creatures had increased. The werewolf sniffed the air and growled towards a large warehouse near the far end of the docks.

"Looks like the source is there." Ember patted the arm of the werewolf. "Good job, Wulf."

"Wulf?"

"Can't just call him the werewolf and the name just seem to fit."

Dan shrugged and motioned to the growing cloud of nightmare creatures forming over the warehouse. "Let's hope we live long enough for him to enjoy it."

* * *

To everyone's dismay, whatever Sam had done to reduce the number of doors had worn off. They were surrounded by hundreds of them. After all that they had encountered so far, none of them had any real desire to start opening doors at random. Sonic tapped his foot as the teens tried to figure out what to do. "Come on guys! A door isn't going to magically appear for us." Three doors suddenly appeared in front of them. "I could be wrong."

The doors slowly creaked open. A clicking sound issued from one and a spider as large as dump truck crawled out of it. It was gray and covered in purple hair. Its eyes glowed green as venom dripped from its red fangs. From the second door, a black monkey as tall as Sam stepped through. Instead of a regular tail, it had a bright red scorpion tail with a wicked looking stinger. A large pile of rocks burst through the third door way and formed a large humanoid shape.

Tucker yelled. "It's the rock monster from galaxy wars 3. It's awesome!"

Amber slapped Tucker on the back of his head. "That thing is going to try and kill us."

"Oh, right!"

Sam gulped slightly. "We can handle this. We just need to focus our minds and take control of the dream." The three creatures moved closer and the teens backed away. "We just need to focus."

Amber shook her head. "How can we focus with those things bearing down on us?"

Sonic chuckled. "You guys do your best. I'll hold them off."

"Are you sure?"

Sonic gave Sam thumbs up. "No problem, I might even take them out before you're ready."

The hedgehog shot at the creatures and rammed his feet into the monkey's face. He rebounded from that blow slammed his fist into one of the eyes of the spider. Sonic landed on the spider's head and curled into a ball and spun at high speed. He shot like a cannonball and smashed through the large stone that made up the rock creature's chest. It shattered and the creature fell apart.

Tucker sighed with relief. "Oh good, he has got this."

Sonic landed behind the creatures. The shattered stone reformed and the rock creature rebuilt itself. The three creatures turned towards the hedgehog. Sonic managed a small smile. "Any time guys" The creatures charged after him.

"Focus!" Tucker's clothes vanished and he was standing in his boxer shorts. "Oops."

"Something helpful, Tucker!" Sam rubbed her temples as she tried to come up with something helpful.

"This will work." Sam and Tucker turned and saw Amber decked out in black scale armor, holding a pair of wicked looking swords in her hands. She clanged the blades together and they sparked with fire. "Now this is a dream."

Tucker looked at his hands. "How did you do that? And how do I do it?"

An idea popped into Sam's mind. "Going Ghost!" A ring appeared at her feet and shot up towards her head. Her clothes changed to a black bodysuit with white gloves and boots. A symbol that looked like a D with a P in the center of it glimmered on the front of her uniform. Sam clenched her fists and they sparkled with green energy. "Let's see what we're made of?"

Sam shot into the air and fired energy beams from her hands. The beams caught the spider creature off guard and it was blasted off the pathway and fell into the endless abyss around them. Amber charged the monkey and dodged the stinger from its tail. She spun around. As she spun, her left sword sliced the tail clean off. Still spinning, she flung her right sword and it impaled the monkey creature through its chest. The monkey stumbled and fell off the pathway. As if empowered by the loss of it comrades, the rock creature suddenly broke apart and fell upon Sonic like an avalanche. The hedgehog tried to dodge, but found the pathway to restrictive. A few smaller pieces smacked him in the head and was knocked into the abyss. Sam tried to fly after him, but the rock creature quickly reformed and smacked her down.

"Sonic!" Tucker ran to the edge as his clothes reappeared.

A golden light exploded around the pathway. A shinning ball shot past Tucker and obliterated the rock creature. A golden Sonic uncurled and landed on the pathway. "I was hoping to save this for later."

The armor around Amber vanished. "Now what? We still don't know where to go."

Sonic smirked. "While I still have my Super Form, I have an idea." He scooped up Sam. "You two grab a shoulder and hang on."

"Why are you carrying me?"

"Amber already had a turn." Amber and Tucker each grabbed a shoulder and one arm. "Hang on!" Sonic flew at high speed and began busting through doors, one right after the other."

* * *

The doors of the warehouse blew open under the force of Dan's energy blast. Wulf led the way as the trio of ghosts walked into the warehouse. The warehouse had a twenty foot tall ceiling and the ghost standing in the center stood almost at that height. Its body was black as midnight with stars twinkling throughout the body. Its head was framed with a pair of curved purple horns. Its red eyes opened as they approached.

"I don't know how you three managed resist the effects of my sleep fog. But you should flee now before I decide to put you asleep permanently."

Dan cracked his neck. "I can appreciate good work when I see it. But this is my town and I can't have some sandman tread on my territory."

Ember shook her head. "This is far from Dan's town, but I have to agree with him. You have to go." Wulf simply growled.

"Foolish children! I am Nocturn, the ruler of the dream realm. Your power is nothing to mine. Be gone from my sight before I decided you are worth swatting like the flies you are."

Dan smiled and his hands exploded with energy. "That's an invitation to my ears. I bet you're not as high and mighty as you claim to be."

Ember leaned closer to Dan. "Are you sure about this? I'm all for beating the unlife out of him, but he does seem powerful."

"It's an act! He wants us to run, so I think he isn't up to taking all three of us." Dan flew upwards. "Let's take him."

* * *

Moving at speeds that only Sonic's eyes could focus, the group quickly eliminated door after door until only one remained. It was a huge, red double door design. Sonic sped up and busted through the doors and screeched to a halt. The teens he had been carrying had to rub their eyes to recover from the speed run. They were in the center of a dark forest. Nocturn stood before them with a large cage hanging from a tree next to him. Danny was trapped in the cage.

Danny gripped the bars. "Guys!" He gave the site of a large hedgehog carrying Sam a puzzled look. "Did I miss something?"

Nocturn snarled and doubled in size. "While I have found your stumbling through my realm entertaining for the most part, but now it is time to end your meddling." The landscape shook and most of the trees fell away. Soon they were all standing on a large stone island floating in the starry abyss of the dream realm. The only tree left standing was the one holding Danny's cage. Orbs of red and black energy formed in his claws. "Be gone from my sight."

The orbs sparkled and red lightning shot from them. Sonic dodged them as best he could, but Tucker and Amber lost their grip and fell to the ground. The black armor reappeared on Amber's body, but a large shield was in her hands instead of the swords. She slammed it into the ground and braced it as the lightning smashed against it.

Tucker dropped to the ground to avoid a large bolt. "I've got to focus. This is my time to shine." The ground under him began to buckle. A large cylinder exploded out of the ground in front of him. It slid open and reviled a gray metal suit. "Oh yeah!" Tucker ran into the cylinder and it slid shut. Nocturn halted his attack as he eyed the metal cylinder Tucker had summoned. The cylinder exploded and a large metallic suit of armor stood in its place. A circle on its chest glowed with blue light.

Nocturn chuckled. "Iron Man, Can you do no better?"

A large machine gun appeared on his left shoulder and a rocket launcher appeared on his right. "Not Iron Man, I'm War Machine." Tucker activated his rocket boots and shot into the air. He aimed his arm cannons at the large ghost. "Here is the difference." Bolts of energy issued from the cannons as bullets flew from the shoulder machine gun.

Nocturn backed away from the assault. "That actually hurt me." Nocturn snarled as his eyes glowed more intensely. "This ends now!" A shockwave of energy exploded from Nocturn and knocked everyone off their feet. The tree holding Danny's cage was torn from its roots and the cage dangled over the edge of the floating island. Black tendrils grew from underneath Nocturn and charged after the teens and the hedgehog.

Sam flew into the air and dodged the tendrils. She spotted Danny's cage dangling over the abyss. She tried to fly to his rescue, but Nocturn managed to snatch her with his right hand. "Let me go!"

"Ah, young love! Such a terrible distraction." Black chains flew out of his palms and wrapped around her body. "Soon you will be my willing puppet."

"Hey horn head!" Tucker flew into view and several rockets fired from his shoulder launcher. They impacted against Nocturn's right arm and exploded. Starting from the elbow, Nocturn's arm and hand burst into energy sparkles. Still chained, Sam plummeted to the abyss. Nocturn roared and a new arm quickly shot out of the stump of the old and clamped onto the armored Tucker.

"I will crush you for that."

Amber slid under a group of tendrils and managed to grab the chains that bound Sam. It felt like her arm popped out of its socket. She gritted her teeth as she pulled her back up. Before they could do anything else, the black tendrils enveloped them and pulled them upwards towards Nocturn's eye level.

"What did you think by challenging me? I am the lord of this realm. My power is growing by the second from the thousands under the effects of my dream fog. Soon I will be empowered by millions."

Amber managed a laugh. "Did you forget someone lord of losers?

Realization filled Nocturn's face as he looked to the place where Danny's cage was hanging. It had been sawed in half and Danny was missing. A whistle issued from behind him. Nocturn turn and saw both Sonic and Danny floating a few feet away. Danny smirked and cracked his knuckles. "After watching everyone else, I think I have finally figured this place out." Danny let out a yell and he was enveloped in golden light. His clothes had changed to an orange fighting gi, his hair was spiked and glowing gold, and his eyes were now green. "Time to see how you handle a Super Saiyan."

* * *

Nocturn fell back under the combined attacks of Ember and Dan. The two battles he was fighting simultaneously was stretching his focus thinly. "Nightwalkers, To Me!" Nightmare creatures tore a hole in the celling of the warehouse and began to pour in.

"We can't keep this up forever." Ember dodged a swing from some tentacle horror and knocked it back with an energy fist from her guitar. Wulf howled and leapt over her head. He crashed into a group of them and began to rip them apart with his claws.

Dan put his fists together and fired a red beam of energy that blasted several of the creatures back through the hole. "It shouldn't be much longer. He is beginning to ware out. Let's just hope whatever is pulling his attention elsewhere keeps up."

* * *

Nocturn swiped at the floating teen and hedgehog, but the easily moved clear of his grasps. The ruler of the dream realm was beginning to slow down. His fist that held the armored Tucker shook and he broke free. Aiming his wrist laser, he cut the tendrils that had captured Sam and Amber. A pair of black bat wings appeared on Amber's back and she joined the others in the air around Nocturn.

"You haven't won yet children." Nocturn's eyes began to dim. "I will cast you into the abyss of eternal sleep."

Danny shook his head. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but you seem to be out of juice. I'm giving you one last chance to just surrender and return everyone to normal."

Nocturn snarled and rose back up to full height. "I will never surrender to a sniveling whelp such as you."

"Have it your way. Guys, I think it is time to end this." Danny put his palms together and a blue ball of energy formed. "I've always wanted to try this."

Nocturn reaches out to grab him, but both Tucker and Sam flew in to block him. The circle on Tucker's armored chest began to glow. "Uni-Beam!" A blue beam on intense energy fires from his chest and impacts Nocturn hard in the forehead. Sam's hand glow with green energy and she throws out a green beam that joins with Tucker's. Amber flies in low and a black metal staff appears in her hand. She spins it around and a large line of fire flies from the staff and covers Nocturn's chest with flames.

"Ka-Meh-A-Me-ha!" Danny yells as a blue wave of energy fires from his palms and slams into spot where Sam and Tucker's attacks have hit.

"Best for last!" Super Sonic curls into a ball and spins at high speed. Energy forms around him and in a flash of golden light, he shoots at Nocturn like a light speed cannon ball and rips right through Nocturn's horned head. The ghost yells and explodes in a shower of sparks.

* * *

Back at the warehouse, Nocturn yells so hard the building shakes. He slowly collapses on the floor while the nightmare creatures begin to vanish. Dan takes in a large breath of air. "See, told you we could take him." Ember just shook her head. Dan walked up the shrinking form of Nocturn. "You ready to submit now."

"This is only a momentary setback." Nocturn pulled himself upright. He was now as tall as Dan. "I simply overstretched myself this time. I will return to claim what is mine."

"That almost rimes." Dan turned his back towards Nocturn. "Wulf!" Dan walked away as the werewolf lunged and ripped into Nocturn.

Both teen ghosts walked out of the warehouse. They were greeted by a slowly rising sun in the sky. Ember pushed her guitar so it hung against her back. "Glad that is over."

"Now, how about that conversation about joining up?"

"Not even in your dreams." Ember floated upward and flew off into the city.

Dan chuckled as Wulf walked up next to him. "Have to admire that strong spirit of hers. I will enjoy breaking her of it." Dan yawned. "But, best left for another day. I need to get back before the whelp realizes I am free from Jack's mental prison." Dan shot into the sky. "I will let that pirate train the boy a little longer. The stronger he is the more power I gain when I take over." Wulf sniffed around a bit and chased after Dan.

* * *

Everyone landed on the floating island. Before they even had time to celebrate, a door appeared behind each one of them. Danny opened his door. "Guess these are the way back to our own dreams." He turned towards Sam and noticed the DP symbol on the front of her uniform. "What's that?"

Sam blushed a bit. "It kind of just came to me when I needed to find a way to fight the creatures Nocturn sent after us. You like it?"

"Yeah!"

Tucker smiled as Danny and Sam talked. He glanced at Amber. "I recognize that armor from World of Warcraft. We should go on a raid or something."

Amber grabbed the collar of Tucker's armor. "You so much as hint to anyone that I used to play that game and I will tie you to a chair and make you watch as I slowly pull each of your electronic toys apart."

Tucker managed a small chuckle. "You a video game. Must have been some delusion of mine." Amber let go and Tucker opened his door. "See you all in the waking world." He stepped through and it shut. The door vanished.

Amber sighed and turned towards Sonic. "Thanks for the rescue. I guess I owe you one."

"All in the job description." Amber smirked and disappeared through her door. Sonic stretched. "Well it has been a blast, but I have to get back to kicking Eggman's large behind."

"Once second." Danny walked over to the hedgehog and held out his hand. "Thank you."

Sonic griped his hand and shook it. "No problem."

Just as Sonic started to step through his door, Danny called out. "Are you the real Sonic or just someone who dreamed he was?"

Sonic gave thumbs up. "That is between me and a certain pirate." Sonic entered his door and it vanished.

Sam whistled as she started to close her door. "Get back to your own head. I'll see you when we wake up."

* * *

Amber's eyes opened and she pushed herself up to a sitting position. The events of what happen in the dream realm a blur. She looked down and found herself dressed with her boots on. "Did I sleep in my clothes?" A yell issued from the other bedroom. Amber quickly ran to the room and found Zack rubbing his cheek. "What happened?"

"I don't know. My face hurts like someone smacked the heck out of it."

Amber walked up and found a red handprint on his face. She held up her hand and it matched the size of the mark. She shrugged. "You just hit yourself in your sleep. Now get up and I'll make breakfast."

"Right." Zack paused. "You will make breakfast?"

* * *

Sam yawned and sat up. She felt around and found the bracelet that Clockwork had given her lying next to her. She quickly put it back on and smiled at the memories of last night. She wondered if anyone else remembered what happened.

* * *

Danny rolled and fell out of bed with a groan. He had to pull himself to his feet. For some reason, his body was sore and he was more exhausted now than before he went to bed. "Maybe that fight with Nocturn took more out of me than I thought." Danny started to head to his door, but tripped over a large object that was on his floor. He rubbed his head as he looked at what he had tripped over. "Tucker?" His best friend was curled up on his rug, in torn pajamas, and fast asleep.


	33. The Morning After

Going to school was rough for both Danny and Tucker. Both were exhausted from the events of last night and still at a lost for why Tucker had been sleeping on Danny's floor. Their parents thought little of it; the two boys had been sleeping over at each other's houses for years. Danny flew to Tucker's house and got him a change of clothes before class. They walked through the front doors of school and ready to collapse before they got down the hallway. Tucker looked around as they got to their lockers.

"Where is Dash? He should be trying to shove us in our lockers by now."

"Maybe he didn't sleep well last night." Danny looked up and down the hall and noticed a general lack of male students. "Maybe the covers on the girl's shower fell down." Danny noticed Sam walking up and waved. "Hey Sam."

"Danny! I'm glad you two managed to avoid the massing in the cafeteria."

"Massing?"

"A new girl arrived at the school today. I think she might be more stuck up than Paulina." She held up her finger before Tucker could ask. "Yes she is just as pretty. Maybe more considering the way the guys are drooling over her." A new wave of energy seemed to fill Tucker and he shot down the hallway. Sam shook her head and sighed. "Do you want to go too?"

"I might have the energy to run or drool. Not both." Danny glanced around for eavesdroppers. "You remember what happened last night?"

"Yeah. It was beyond a little weird. How about Tucker?"

"He says it was like a blur. He remembers some of it, but not a lot."

"Amber said the same thing. So I'm sure your secret is safe." Sam put her backpack down. "You did like that symbol I came up with?"

"It was awesome."

"Good!" Sam pulled out a piece of material that matched the material of his jumpsuit he wore in his ghost form. It was cut into the shape of a spectral D with a P on the inside. "I made this for you after I woke up." Danny was speechless as he took the insignia. "I'm not sure how to attach it to your uniform."

"I'm not sure either. I don't think I can even take my jumpsuit off in my ghost form. I'll ask Jack when I head over to the warehouse. Thanks a lot Sam, I really think this is the coolest."

Sam blushed. "I just thought it would make you look more like a superhero. Maybe help people see how great you really are."

"You think I'm great."

Sam found words hard to form, but the bell saved her. "We better get to class. Don't want Lancer on the warpath again."

"Right."

* * *

Rachel climbed the stairs and spotted the rooftop door wedged open with a wooden block. She pushed open the door and walked onto the roof. She looked around and saw a girl standing near the edge with bluish skin and blue hair that moved like fire. She rubbed her eyes and found Amber standing in front of her. Shaking it off as the light playing tricks on her eyes. "Amber, bell rang!"

Amber said nothing for a few moments and nodded. "Thanks."

"Are you alright?"

"Something happened to me last night. I'm having strange daydreams, like I have to sets of memories on top of each other."

Rachel walked up to her friend. "Do you want to talk to a counselor?"

"No! My dad is looking for just one excuse to make me go home." Amber turned and headed for the door. "I just need to get some more sleep. Let's skip our next two practices."

"You're the boss. I'll let Rick know as soon as he can take his eyes off the new girl."

"Let him gawk all he wants. That girl is going to latch on to one of the jocks."

* * *

At the warehouse where Nocturn was defeated, a man dressed in green robes with a large straw hat that covered his entire head save for his mouth walked in. He knelt down and ran his hand across the floor. A powerful spiritual energy was released here." His voice seemed to echo on its own. "I can sense at least three powerful imprints here." He glanced around. "Maybe four."

A glowing green parrot flew through a broken window and landed on his shoulder. "RRAAWWWK! How powerful?"

"The energies are too mixed. This is as accurate I can get. But I doubt they will prove a problem."

"Good! Rawk! I'll tell the captain we can proceed at nightfall."

* * *

The final bell rang and sweet freedom until the next morning. Danny looked around and couldn't find Tucker anywhere. Normally they would have met at their lockers, but he was nowhere to be seen. He walked out the door and spotted Tucker. A small group of guys were sitting at one of the picnic tables. A girl with long red hair and green eyes was sitting on one side with the guys sitting on the other. Danny couldn't hear what they were saying, but the guys suddenly started to laugh. This girl was very pretty; Tucker and Dash were sitting next to each other and haven't noticed yet. Danny almost rushed over to join the group of guys, but remembered that he had something more important to do. He rushed to the warehouse as fast as his tired body could.

Jack Sparrow was hanging upside down from a bar on the ceiling, reading a newspaper. Danny was almost afraid to ask. "Captain Sparrow?"

Jack looked down from his paper and smiled his gold filled grin. "You finally remembered." He freed his legs and dropped to the floor. As he fell, he turned in midair and landed on his feet.

"Why were you up there?"

"Trying to get a better view of this Depp fellow." Jack folded the paper and handed it to Danny. It had a small picture of the actor Johnny Depp in his Jack Sparrow costume. Both he and Jack could pass for twins.

"Actor Johnny Depp is coming to Amity Park for the premier of the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. I guess the mayor is pulling out all the stops to get more tourism. You two look a lot alike."

"No we don't." Jack jabbed at the paper. "His nose isn't right, and what is with that ridiculous goatee."

Danny didn't bother pointing out they both had the exact same goatee. "Any way, I was hoping you could help me with my ghost form."

"Sure, what is the problem?"

Danny pulled out the insignia that Sam had made. "Sam made this for my uniform and I don't know how to attach it to it."

"That's all. Transform!" Danny transformed into his ghost form. "Your jumpsuit was transformed into a solid form of ghost energy when you had your accident. You can change that form at will with practice." Jack grabbed the insignia and placed it on Danny's chest. "There good?"

"Yeah."

"Now focus and try to visualize your ghost form with the insignia on it." Danny closed his eyes and a green field of energy surrounded his body. Jack's hand glowed blue and remove his hand. The insignia flashed and remained in place. "Now give it a go."

Danny returned to his human form. "Going Ghost!" Danny transformed again and the DP insignia shown proudly on the front of his jumpsuit. "Alright! What you think?"

Jack scratched his chin. "It does add an element of class to your look. With practice, you could change your ghost form outfit to practically anything you want."

"I'm going to go show Sam."

"Ah, looking to impress the girl of your dreams, mate."

"No! I just want to show her that I really like what she made for me."

Jack grinned. "Or do you wish to show her that you like the item that she liked to make for you and liked the fact she gave it to you."

Danny didn't follow a word of what he had just said. "Ah, yes!"

"Knew it!" Jack waved him off. "Go on then, never let training stand in the way of love."

"We're just friends!"

"Keep telling yourself that. But don't keep telling yourself that too long."

Danny sighed. "Thanks Captain. I'll be back in a few hours."

* * *

Danny flew to Sam's house, but the butler informed him that Sam had gone to the theater to try and get an autograph from Johnny Depp. Slapping his head for forgetting the news article he had just read, Danny made haste to the theater that had just been built. The crowd was huge and full of teens and a few adults. A few police officers herded the people in to some resemblance of a line. He failed to spot Sam and went intangible. He flew through the wall of the building and into the massive lobby. The crowd inside was more controlled and kept lined up by red ropes. While he still couldn't find Sam, he spotted Tucker with the new girl from school hanging on his arm. Having to nod for his friend's good fortune, he turned and looked at the source of the crowd's excitement. Depp was sitting a large table in his Sparrow attire. He turned to look outside again, but a blue puff of steam issued from his mouth.

"Oh great!" The doors that led into one of the screening rooms burst open and several ghosts shot into the lobby. Each were dressed as a pirate. Danny unphased and summoned energy to his hands. "At least they are following tonight's theme. He fired beams from each of his hands and slammed two of the ghosts to the floor.

The people inside the theater tried to escape in a panic, but the doors leading out suddenly slammed shut and locked. More pirate ghosts flew through the walls and started flying around the crowd. Danny fired several more beams, but there were more ghosts than he could handle. Needing to free the people in the crowd, Danny dropped to the ground and tried to force open the door. The door sparked with green energy and blasted him back into a group of teens. A green glowing parrot flew through the door and grabbed Danny's shoulder. Despite its small size, it easily picked the halfa up and shot into the air. The parrot flew right into the ceiling, phasing through it. Danny wasn't so lucky and smashed his head against the ceiling. He fell and crashed onto the table Depp had been signing autographs on. He rolled off the table and onto the floor. He felt hand grab his shoulder. The hand belonged to Tucker.

"Tucker!" Danny crawled under the table. Tucker and the new girl were on the hands and knees under the table. "How you two holding up?"

"How do you think?" The girl had a slightly southern accent to her voice and was freaking out. "I heard rumors that ghosts haunted this city, but this is ridiculous."

Tucker patted her hand. "No worries, this is the one and only Danny Phantom. If anyone can save us, it is him."

"Yeah!" Danny looked out from under the table nervously. "Not a problem. Stay here!" Danny shot out from under the table and fired several beams of energy. He knocked several ghosts down and got a clear shot at the doors. He charged up his palms and fired a concentrated blast of energy at the doors. The metal and glass bent and broke under the force and swung open. People began to pour out of the theater. He landed and helped Tucker and the girl out from under the table. "Get out of here! The Fentons should be here soon to finish things up."

Before they could run, a shout filled their ears. The trio looked up in time to see Johnny Depp being carried off by the ghost parrot. Danny moved to pursue, but a ghost in green robes appeared and blocked his path. A large straw hat hid all of his features save for his mouth. Before Danny could ask, the ghost raised a wooden flute to his lips. The music that came out was strangely soothing. A weird feeling filled Danny's mind. Without thinking he turned and his eyes met the eyes of the girl Tucker had been with. They started kissing and fell down doing so. Tucker stepped back in shock. The ghost changed the notes he was playing and Tucker's shock turned to anger, but he couldn't make a move to stop the two from making out.

"Such weak minded fools." The ghost vanished.

The urge to kiss vanished along with the ghost and Danny pulled away from the girl. The girl smirked. "My name is Penelope and you got a nice set of lips."

"Thanks I think."

"Danny!" Sam was standing only a few feet away.

Danny started to try and explain, but he saw his parents pull up outside and there were still a number of people in the building. "Sorry!" He shot out of the theater.

* * *

Johnny Depp was dropped onto a wet wooden floor. Standing over him was a kid who could be no older than ten. He was dressed in a pirate captain's outfit complete with a steel hook for a right hand. The green parrot landed on his left shoulder and seemed to whisper into the kid's ear. "Not to be rude, but who are you and why have you kidnapped me? Did you want an autograph that bad?"

The kid smiled. "More than that. Everyone knows that Jack Sparrow is the greatest pirate to have ever lived. But I plan on changing that, YO HO HO!"


	34. A new enemy

Danny flew over the theater and tried to get an idea on which direction the ghost parrot might have gone. His mind filled with images of this girl he had just kissed and the look on both Sam's and Tucker's faces. Especially Sam's. He was jarred out of his thoughts as a metal cable with two green glowing ends wrapped around his torso and pinned his arms to his sides. He plummeted to the roof of the theater and landed with a hard thud. Danny managed to roll onto his back and gazed up at his attacker. It was a girl for what he could tell, in a red jumpsuit with black boots and gloves, a red mask with a black visor concealed her identity. She was riding a large silver board that hovered in the air. A large silver hi-tech rifle was held causally in her left hand. A utility belt and back told Danny she probably had more weapons hidden away.

"Who are you?"

The girl laughed, her voice seemed to be part robotic, part teenager. It sounded partly familiar, but Danny could figure out from where. "I am The Ghost Catcher."

Danny couldn't help but to chuckle. "Ghost Catcher! Is that the best you can come up with?"

She leveled her rifle and a small red laser light that served to help aim the weapon shined a red dot on his forehead. "I'm working on the name, but that should be the last thing on your mind."

She was right; it was the last thing on his mind. "Look, I would love to stay and play the name game with you, but I have a kidnapped movie star to hunt down." Danny tried to phase through the cable and received a painful shock from it for his trouble. "Ouch!"

"Give it up ghost freak. You won't be escaping anytime soon."

From the street, he heard his parents yelling as they rounded up the few straggling ghosts left over from the attack. "So, you're going to turn me in to The Fentons?"

"Heck no, I'm going to blast you with this rifle in till you are smoking pile of ghostly ash."

"Good to know!" Danny rolled clear as the girl opened fire. He managed to roll behind an air conditioner and push himself to his feet.

"You can't hide from me." She unleashed shot after shot and slowly blew chunks off the air conditioner.

"Ok, this one definitely has anger issues." Danny wiggled his right arm and managed to get his hand free. He concentrated and a small beam of green energy fired from his index finger. He aimed the small beam at the cable and it slowly started to burn through it. "Come on!"

The girl brought her hover board around and flew over the air conditioner. She pulled a handful of black orbs from her belt and dropped them over Danny's head. The cable snapped free and he lunged out of the way as the orbs hit the roof and exploded. Danny shot into the air.

"You're going to hurt someone if you're not careful."

"That is the general ideal." The girl opened fire.

Danny flew at top speed to get away from the girl, but to his dismay, the hover board had no trouble keeping up with him. The girl kept firing at him, but Danny noticed he hadn't had to move much to avoid them. Danny glanced back and noticed she was having a hard time keeping her balance. It was then that Danny realized, she was new at this.

"Can't we talk about this? How about a burger and a shake? My treat!"

"The only treat I want is your smoking remains."

"Talk about a one track mind." Danny phased and the girl shot through his intangible form. He reformed and fired a beam of green energy from both of his hands. The beam hit the girl in the back and she tumbled from her board. Danny flew fast and caught her several feet above the street. "Can you just calm down for a moment and let me explain?"

"Get your slimy hands off me!" She grabbed the sides of his head and green energy surged out of her gloves. Danny cried out from the pain and dropped the girl. The hover board suddenly turned sharply and managed to catch her just before she hit the pavement. "Till next time ghost!"

Danny shook his head to recover from the shock and looked around. The girl had vanished. Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "This just isn't my day."

* * *

Johnny Depp said little as a pair of ghost pirates led him up to the top deck of whatever ship he had been taken too. Then he got there, he found himself in the middle of a full blown pirate ship. The boat was huge, at least the size of a Frigate, it had three large masts that held up slightly shredded green sails. A boat this size could hold up to a hundred people and cargo. Considering this was a ghost ship, which meant a lot of ghosts. The child that he had seen earlier floated towards him, the green parrot noticeable absent.

"What do you think of my ship, The Forever Young?"

Depp gulped slightly as he tried to come up with the right words. "It is a nice boat." He held his hands up. "Ship, I meant to say ship."

The ghost kid laughed. "That be high praise from the captains of captains."

Rather than trying to explain he was only an actor for the third time, Depp decided to play along for the time being. "I'm afraid I never got the name of my host."

The ghost smacked his forehead. "Right, always introduce yourself." He shook his head. "I keep forgetting to do that. I'm always being told that I can't be called the scourge of the seven seas if no one knows my name. Like there was this one time I totally wreaked a small port town, I forgot to tell them who I was and the ended up giving the credit to some guy with a black beard."

"Excuse me!"

"Yes!"

"Your name is?"

"Blimey, I'm doing to again. I am Captain Youngblood, enemy to all adults."

Depp took a cautious step back. "All adults?"

"I made an exception for my role model." Youngblood floated up and motioned to all that was around them. "I have followed your adventures and used it to help me in my own quest. Normally adults can't see or hear me because I don't want them to, but when I found out you were here, I just had to meet you."

"Well, that was all well and good; I will just be getting off now." Depp turned, but the pair of ghost pirates behind him leered at him. He grinned and turned back towards Youngblood.

"You don't understand. After I finish my master plan here, I will take you to The Ghost Zone where you will declare me the king of all pirates."

"Couldn't I just declare you here and then be on my merry way."

Youngblood's eyes narrowed. "You misunderstood me my fine captain. It is not enough to simply be named king; I must destroy the old king."

Depp pointed a finger at himself. "Me?"

"Aye!" The pirate ghosts grabbed Depp's arms. "As soon as my first mate gathers the adults of this city, we will be off."

"Where?" Depp managed to yell as he was being dragged off.

"The Bermuda Triangle. There is a giant ghost portal to be found there."

When he was alone, the parrot fluttered down and landed on Youngblood's shoulder. "Rawk! Was bringing him aboard such a good idea? He is a very dangerous and unpredictable pirate."

"Yeah, he kept trying to tell me he was some kind of actor."

"Just trying to hornswoggle you, captain. You were wise in not falling for it."

"How goes my plan?"

"A soon as the sun sets. Squawk."

* * *

Exhausted from the search, Danny dropped onto the metal roof that covered the top of his parent's domed command center. The center dominated the top of their home and was designed to be the ultimate ghost fighting headquarters. Mostly it was used a high tech attic and primary hiding spot for dad's snacks. The sun was setting and the metal roof felt amazingly cool against his back. He laid there for an hour, his mind running through the events from earlier. A celebrity who could make or break this city's tourist trade was kidnapped, he has some new ghost hunter trying to blast him to atoms, and worst of all, Sam had seen him kissing a girl he didn't even know.

"Why do I even bother getting up every morning?" Danny rubbed his eyes. "Maybe I should have let Nocturn put this planet to sleep."

Speaking of sleep, he had gotten very little of it at late. When a haunting beautiful melody came to his ears, he almost let it lull him to sleep. The sound of hundreds of feet from the street woke him up and he sat up. A large crowd of people were walking through the street with a zombie like look on their faces. Leading them was a ghost in green robes playing a large wooden flute. He recognized the ghost from the theater. Danny shot off the roof and landed in the path of the makeshift parade.

"That is far enough. Where is the actor and what are you doing?"

"The man in question is with my captain at the moment." The ghost chuckled. "As for what I am doing, I am doing what I have always done." He raised the flute back to his lips. "Leading souls to The Ghost Zone." A pair of pirate ghosts shot out of the street and grabbed Danny. "Your soul isn't on my list so I am afraid I must leave you here." The pirate ghosts tossed Danny to the street and aimed old looking pistols at him. "Goodbye." He continued playing and led the group on.

Danny dodged as spheres of energy fired from the ghosts' pistols. Danny threw out a pair of energy beams and blasted the pistols from their hands. "Now what are you going to do?" They drew their swords. Danny briefly nodded. "Good answer."

Danny ducked a sword swipe and grimaced at the mark it left in the brick building behind him. He phased and dove into his house with the two ghosts close behind. Alarms went off as the three ghosts flew through the house and ended up in the basement. Danny frantically looking for one of his parents' ghost weapons. He spotted the green bat that had the name, Fenton Creep Stick on it. He picked it up and blocked a sword swipe. The sword sliced the wooden bat in half. "So it was just a bat."

Dropping the useless stick, he dove across a workbench and picked up a small metal rod. It beeped and a six foot fishing pole made of white metal grew out of it. Danny blocked another sword attack and the sword couldn't cut through the fishing rod. Smiling, Danny went on the offensive. The ghosts were unaccustomed to fighting an opponent like this and were pushed back under Danny assault. Briefly wondering why his parents hadn't come running down to the basement considering the alarms were still blaring, he dropped his guard for a moment and a sword managed to slice into his arm. He yelled out and dropped the fishing rod to grasp the bleeding wound. The ghost charged at him with weapons pointed forward. Danny dropped to the floor and the ghosts shot over him. Seeing their flight, Danny fired a small energy beam and hit the controls to The Ghost Portal. And slid open and the pirate ghosts were sucked into it. Danny sighed as the doors to the portal closed.

"That was close."

* * *

Amber sat up and rubbed her eyes. A medley had filtered through her window and woke her up. She grabbed her robe from the floor and slipped it on as she heard the front door open. Amber left her room and spotted Zack walking out of the house. She reached the doorframe and saw Zack join a large crowd walking down the street.

"What is going on?" Amber head began to hurt and a black ring formed around her waist. The ring split in two, one flew to her feet and the other to her head. Her clothes changed to black leather pants and black tank top. Her skin tinted blue and hair turned to blue green flames.

"What is going on?" Ember floated up and followed the crowd.

* * *

Danny shut the alarm off and still saw no sign of his parents or his sister. He grabbed a rag and tied it around his bleeding arm. Danny flew up the stairs and looked around the living room. "GHOSTS!" Danny yelled as loud as he could. No response. He shot through the ceiling and found the bedrooms empty. "Oh no!" Danny flew outside and spotted the growing crowd. He spotted his parents and sister in the middle of the crowd. Before Danny could chase after them, a green glowing parrot flew in front of him.

"I see you are going to be a problem." The parrot's voice was a deeper tone.

"Out of my way or I'll turn you into a bucket of chicken."

The parrot's form shifted and he grew into a full size bird man. "Be gone whelp. The ship sails with the tide." The birdman flew up and gripped Danny's face with one of his large talons on his feet. He shot to the street and slammed him hard into the pavement. "You are just lucky the captain doesn't want any kids seriously harmed." Danny's vision faded as he lost consciousness.

* * *

The crowd grew as it travelled through the city and approached the docks. Captain Youngblood waited at the dock with several of his pirate ghosts with him. The Ghost Piper bowed before the ghost captain. "Five hundred adults, as requested."

"Good work matey. You have earned a lot of doubloons with this haul." Captain Youngblood floated over the crowd. These will make ghost pirates. He spotted a few teenagers in the crowd. "I thought your song would only attract adults."

The piper bowed again. "Being an adult is as much a state of mind as it is age. Should we level them here?"

"No. If they chose to give up their childhood then it is their fault. Take them onboard the longboats. We must get ready to make sail."

As the adults began to be loaded on the boats that would take them to Youngblood's ship, a shout issued from one of the buildings. "Let go of my dad you ghostly freaks." A girl in a red jumpsuit flew from one of the buildings on a metal hover board. She fired a large rifle at the ghost captain.

"Guess this wouldn't be fun if there wasn't some kind of trouble." Captain Youngblood's right hook hand turned into a small cannon. "Open fire you scallywags." The ghost pirates drew their pistols and fired.

A red energy disk appeared on her left arm and she blocked the energy bolts from the ghost pistols. "Nice try."

Youngblood laughed and fired his cannon. A fist size cannon ball shot from it and smashed into her shield. The force of the blast knocked her off the board and she crashed into a small pile of shipping crates. "Technology is nice, but nothing beats an old fashion iron ball." He spotted another girl that had been hiding behind the crates. There was something about her blue green hair that caught his eye. "Capture her! A pirate captain needs a wench."

Ember nearly gaged. "I would rather kiss a wet dog that had been eating raw onions."

"Now that just hurt." Youngblood pouted for a moment, but then smiled. "But you'll come around." The ghost pirates surrounded Ember and bound her in white rope. "This raid went better than I expected. Soon I will have the beginning of my own pirate ghost fleet."


	35. Hoist the Colors

Danny woke up with a splitting headache. It took him a few minutes to remember he was outside and the sun was shining on him. He covered his eyes and noticed he was back in his human form. Danny groaned as he rolled to his feet and found no trace of the piper or the adults. He looked up and down the street and found a few kids wondering around looking for their parents. A few sirens in the background herald the approaching police. Danny started to walk towards his house when a girl's voice shouted his name.

"Fenton!" Danny turned and spotted Valerie Gray running up to him. The teenager was dressed in the same jumpsuit as the ghost hunter that had attacked him yesterday. She clutched a red mask in her hand. "Where are your parents?"

"Gone!" Danny had to hold back his fear. "That ghost with the flute took them."

"He got my dad too." Valerie pointed towards the docks. "He was taking orders from some pintsized pirate ghost. They loaded out parents onto a large boat."

"Any idea where they went?"

"No! That ghost knocked me into some crates and I must have passed out. By the time I woke up, they were gone. I tried looking, but they must be too far out. I was hoping that your parents might have managed avoiding being caught by that ghost."

Danny shook his head. "Don't think they counted on being attacked with music." Danny's eyes fell to her outfit. "Jogging?"

"Long story and none of your business. Do your parents have anything that might help us find them?"

"I don't know."

Valerie sighed and pulled her mask back on. "You look and tell me if you find anything." She pressed a button on her wrist. Her hover board flew past and she jumped on it.

Danny watched her go with a mixture of awe and panic. "That would be cool if she wasn't going to use all that to destroy me." Danny ducked into his home just long enough to transform. If he was dealing with ghost pirates, then there was only one man that could help him.

* * *

Jack Sparrow looked up as Danny phased through the ceiling of the warehouse. The ghost teen landed in front of him. "Jack, my parents were taken."

Jack held up his hands to trying and calm the boy down. "I know."

"What can you tell me?"

The pirate shrugged. "Nothing I'm afraid. My terms with Clockwork prevent me from giving you information that you don't have readily access to."

"Forget those stupid terms!" Danny was yelling. "You're a pirate, when did you start following the rules."

"When I found out not following them would lead to my death."

Realization filled Danny's face and he sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry. I know your hands are tied. But what am I going to do?"

Jack's face showed genuine concern as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small brown leather bag. The bag was tied together with gold silk rope. "It isn't much." Jack tossed the bag and Danny caught it. "Toss it into the ocean! It will summon an old friend of mine."

"Who?"

Sparrow put a finger to his lips. "Best left unanswered." Jack flashed his gold tooth filled smile. "Trust me!"

* * *

"Trust him?" Danny stood on the docks with the bag in hand. He started to undo the rope, but stopped when he spotted a speed boat pull up to the dock. Sam was behind the wheel and Tucker was sitting next to her. "Guys! What are you doing here?"

"Our parents were taken too." Tucker stood up and held his hand out to his friend. "Jack explained that you were being controlled by that piper."

"Really?"

Sam managed a small chuckle. "And he explained how you were nowhere near brave enough to try to kiss a girl like that."

"Thanks!" Danny took Tucker's hand and jumped onto the boat. "I think."

"Where are you dorks going?" Valerie, with her mask back on, flew over the boat. "Did you find a way to track where the ghosts are going?"

"Ah, yes."

"Good!" She jumped off her hover board and landed on the boat. "You're going to need me if you hope to stand a chance." She grabbed the front of Danny's shirt. She pulled his face up to the visor of her mask and spoke with a whisper. "Don't you dare tell them who I really am."

"No problem. What do I call you?"

"Gray! They'll never figure it out."

Danny smiled and she let go of him. "Guys, this is Gray."

Sam glanced over her shoulder. "Hi Valerie."

"What?" Valerie tore off her mask. "How did you know?"

"What idiot would be fooled by that lame voice synthesizer?"

"Whatever. So where are we going?"

Danny pointed in a random direction. "That way!"

As everyone looked in that direction, Danny tossed the bag into the water. Nothing happened for a minute. As everyone began to look back towards him, the water in front of their boat flashed with green light. The water churned violently as a large object appeared beneath the water. A large black ship erupted out of the water. The teens had to hold on as their boat was tossed as the black ship settled in the water. They floated next to it and found a rope ladder that hung from the side of the ship. Danny led the way up the ladder and climbed aboard the deck of the large black ship. It looked like something out of a pirate movie. As everyone got on board, a man dressed in brown pirate trench coat walked up in front of them.

"Gentlemen!" He took off his tricorn hat. "Ladies! Welcome aboard the Black Pearl."

* * *

Youngblood watched from the main deck as his ghostly crew rushed about with their jobs. The sun was high in the sky and a calm ocean breeze pushed his ship towards its destination. His parrot landed on his shoulder.

"All adults have been secured below deck in a trance. Squawk. Sparrow is locked safely in the brig."

"Things are going along nicely. As soon as we pass through the ghost portal, all the adults will be turned into ghost and I will be able to crew the many ships that lay beneath the waters of the Bermuda Triangle."

"Rawk! Your pirate fleet will be feared both in the mortal world and the ghost zone."

"And I will go down as the greatest pirate captain of all time. Where did you put the ghost girl we captured?"

"Tied up in your cabin. You should be careful with that one, sir. She knocked out six of our men."

"She is a spirited one. Maybe when she learns her place, she will be able to command one of my other ships." Youngblood floated up to the wheel. "But that will have to wait. Best speed to the triangle."

* * *

Valerie had to push her mouth closed at the sight before her. "Is that who I think it is?"

Before the other teens could try to come up with a plausible excuse, Jack simple walked over and kissed her hand. "Captain Jack Sparrow at your service my lady."

"You're real?"

"Real is simply a state of mind. I heard what happened and have come across time and screen to offer my humble aid." Valerie was so confused she simply nodded. Jack glanced up. "You seem to have a sharp eye. Why don't you take a station in the crow's nest?"

"Right!" Valerie walked towards the rigging that led to the nest, but kept looking back to reassure she wasn't dreaming.

When she was out of earshot, Danny spoke up. "What are you doing here?"

"Well that is certainly an unusual way of saying thank you."

"I thought you couldn't interfere in things that didn't have to do with the timeline."

"Normally, but I had Clockwork include a clause that frees me from such obligations for a certain duration if a situation arises that requires a knowledgeable sea going person that can help rectify that current and any other possible situation that might accrue in or around a body of water."

Both boys tried to figure out what he said, but Sam simply shrugged. "So you got Clockwork to let you do as you like if the need of a pirate captain would arise."

"You got it. So who is ready to sail with The Legendary Captain Jack Sparrow?"


	36. Battle on the high seas

Danny and his friends stood back in amazement as the black sails unfurled themselves and filled and the rigging set itself. Jack pulled out his compass. "Mr. Fenton!" He flipped it open and handed it to the teen. "Please provide us our bearing?" Danny held the compass in both hands and watched as the needle spun around a few times before stopping in the direction Sam was standing. "Please focus on finding your parents." Danny nodded and tried to focus. He pictured his parents in his mind and the compass needle moved a few degrees to the left. Jack nodded. "Good." Jack stepped over to Sam and pulled out an oriental looking hand fan.

"Are you kidding?"

Jack smiled and opened up the fan. "But this is a very special fan. It was given to me from one of the royal empresses of china."

Sam crossed her arms. "Given?"

"Yes. Not only did she want me to have it, she made sure I left with it at great speed. She even had cannons fired in my direction as I sailed away as a sendoff." He waved the fan at the sails and a large gust of wind issued from the tiny fan and caused the ship to move forward. "Just use a steady motion and we shouldn't have any problems catching up with Youngblood."

"Right!" Sam took the fan and began to wave it. A constant stream of wind hit the sails and pushed the ship along."

"Mr. Tucker."

"Yes my captain." Tucker stood straight and saluted.

"Now here is someone with the right idea and manners. But you don't have to stand up that straight. This is a pirate ship after all."

"Sorry, captain."

Jack smiled his gold toothed grin. "Quite alright, I want you to go below deck and get familiar with the cannons." Tucker's eyes lit up and he bolted for the small stairs that would take him to the gun deck. Jack pondered his excitement for a moment. "Hope he doesn't get too familiar." Jack walked over to the main mast and grabbed a metal funnel that was connected to a thin pipe that went up the length of the mast. "Ms. Gray?"

"What!" Valerie voice echoed down the pipe from the crow's nest. Jack had installed the device to keep from having to shout every time someone was up there.

"When you spot our target, come on down. I will need you for the boarding party."

"Of course you need me. None of you have a clue how to fight ghosts."

Jack was tempted to respond, but wisely walked away. He went to the wheel and grasped it with both hands. Looking out at the horizon from the deck of his ship, a strong wind to speed him on his way, and the sound of the ocean around him, a feeling he had had for thousands upon thousands of times. But each time, he savored the sweet feeling of freedom.

* * *

Just had Jack predicted, the wind from the fan had given them the edge and Youngblood's ship was in sight after just a few hours. To Jack's dismay, they were getting closer to Bermuda Triangle. Realizing what Youngblood had planned, he had Sam wave the fan harder to reach them faster. Even switching every few minutes, Sam's arms screamed for a rest. She ignored it and kept up the pace. Valerie left the crow's nest as Sparrow retrieved his compass from Danny. He led the two teens bellow and stopped as they watched Tucker struggled to lift one of the iron cannon balls. He grunted with great effort and managed to drop it into one of the cannons. He huffed as he nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

"Almost have one side loaded."

Jack rolled his shoulder. "Arm all Guns!" All of a sudden, a green light started to glow from the bags of powder and the cannon balls. They floated into the air and proceeded to load themselves into the remaining cannons. Tucker nearly cried and looked at Jack. The pirate shrugged and smirked. "I could have sworn I told you these were self-loading." Tucker groaned and limped off to find water. Jack led Danny and Valerie to a door at the end of the deck.

"What are we doing?" Valerie looked around. "If our parents are on that boat, we can't fire cannons at it."

"Of course we can. It is no doubt that the parents are being held either in the hold or the brig. Both of which tend to be in the lower part of the ship. These cannons will only be fired at the upper part with their cannons."

"What if they are on the same deck as the cannons?"

Jack produced a key from his belt. "Hope they can duck." He fitted the key into the lock and opened the door. A large assortment of pirate era swords and guns were neatly arrayed before them. "After our first volley, we will board their ship. I'll handle the captain while you two find the adults and get them back over to the Pearl." He grabbed the handle of a cutlass that shimmered with unnatural light. "These blades have been magically treated to sever a ghost's tie to this realm. One good slash should banish them back to The Ghost Zone."

Valerie scratched her head. "Why are we using swords?" She drew a small silver blaster from her hip holster. "Wouldn't these be better?"

"Yes, but that isn't very pirate like is it?" He started to hand Danny the cutlass, but stopped. "Wait one moment! These are very dangerous weapons and your both underage. I better give you a few quick safety tips." He pointed to the hilt of the sword. "You hold it by this end." He pointed to the tip. "This is very sharp and should be pointed towards your enemy. Understand all that." Both teens slowly nodded. "Good." He handed each of them a cutlass. "Now if you hurt yourselves, it won't be my fault. Now up on the main deck."

* * *

Aboard Youngblood's ship, The Ghost Piper stepped into the captain's cabin to check on the prisoner. The ghost girl had put up quite a fight and thus had to be tied to one of the cabin's support posts. Moving past the toys and other playthings that captain owned, the piper lifted her face gently to make sure she was still out from his sleep song. Satisfied he turned to leave when a shout came from outside.

"A ship coming directly up on our stern, all hands on deck!" The voice was that of the captain.

The piper chuckled to himself as he prepared his flute. "More weak minded fools that will fall for my melodies."

"Hey!" The piper turned and received a boot to his face. He fell back, tripped over one of the captain's toy trucks, and slammed his head against a dresser. Ember snapped the ropes that held her apart with the loose nail she had been rubbing on since she was tied up. "Did you think really think that pathetic excuse of a tune knocked me out? All I had to do was keep a heavy metal rift going through my mind."

The Ghost Piper groaned as he stood up. "Then why did you pretend that it worked?"

Ember smiled. "Your ability to control people through music interests me. I saw you earlier looking over some old sheets of paper and figured it wasn't you or your flute."

"You have guessed much young one. But it is more than knowing the notes; you must possess a certain skill with music."

Ember's eyes flashed blue. "I'm pretty sure I can manage that. Now hand the music over!"

* * *

Jack Sparrow watched, through his spyglass, Youngblood's ship begin to turn. "So he wishes to engage us, makes thing simpler."

"How so?" Danny took the spyglass and took a look for himself.

"It is always easier when your enemy comes to you." Jack turned to Sam. "You may stop Ms. Manson."

Sam dropped the fan and rubbed her sore arms. "Finally, I thought my arms were going to fall off."

Jack walked over to another metal funnel that connected to the lower deck. "Prepare for a broadside Mr. Tucker." Accepting the acknowledgement, Jack returned to the wheel. "Now the fun starts."

Youngblood's ship floated up so that its port side was facing the Black Pearl's starboard side. Several green cannons appeared out of little hatches along its side. "Now captain?" Tucker's voice issued from the funnel.

"Hold!"

The green cannons fired and several cannon balls impacted against the side of the ship. The Black Pearl rocked under the impact, but instead of wood splintering, all that could be heard was things falling into the water. Danny looked over the side and saw that the enemy cannons had just dented The Pearl in several places. He turned to Jack with a look of disbelief on his face.

"Got the ship an ironwood treatment from alchemist in the thirteenth century, all the benefits of iron, without all the rust." He grabbed the metal funnel. "You may return fire."

Tucker lit a fuse and ran down the gun deck, lighting cannons as he went. The cannons were aimed slightly upward and sent their payload through the upper portions of Youngblood's gun deck. The cannonballs ripped through the wood and sent debris crashing on top of the ghosts manning the guns. Tucker ran up the wooden stairs and joined the others. Jack turned the wheel and the bow of The Pearl crashed into the bow of Youngblood's ship. He grabbed a pair of swords and handed them to Tucker and Sam.

"I'll handle the pint sized captain. Danny! You and Ms. Gray will help keep it a one on one fight. Sam, take Tucker, find the parents, and get them aboard The Pearl. Everyone clear?" The teens around him nodded. "The lets take the ship." Jack, Danny, and Valerie ran and leapt onto the other ship. "Everyone scream and shout! Captain Jack Sparrow is here!" Jack spread out his arms and knocked Danny off the ship and into the water. Jack glanced over his shoulder. "Oops. I'm sure he will swim around to the ladder on the other side of my ship." Jack and the others charged the ghost pirates.

* * *

Danny popped to the surface. "Going Ghost!" Danny transformed and exploded out of the water. He clutched his sword and flew over the ship. A ghost pirate flew up to meet him and swung at him with a rusted old pirate sword. Danny ducked the attack and landed a clean swipe to the ghost's torso. The ghost cried out and faded away. The half ghost examined the sparkling sword Jack had given him. "So it does work." Satisfied, Danny shot towards the ship.

* * *

**A minute earlier**

Ember was blasted to the floor when a shockwave issued from The Ghost Piper's flute. The ghost laughed as the ghost girl struggled to pull herself up. "You have talent. I could take you under my wing and teach you all that I know."

"What do you want?"

"You will be my assistant for the rest of your life."

Ember seemed to gather strength from his words and stood up. "I will not play second chair for no one."

A cannon ball exploded through the wall and slammed right into The Ghost Piper. The force almost imbedded him in the wall across from the hole where the cannon ball came in. The ball dropped to the floor with a thud and the piper dropped with it. Ember shrugged at her good fortune and bent over the fallen ghost. She went through his robes and found a bamboo cylinder. A simple cork held it closed. She pulled it out and pulled out paper that was a soft as fabric. Each page held musical notes and arrangements for a verity of songs. She smiled as she thought of ways to adapt it to her guitar. She carefully rolled them up and put them back into the cylinder. As an afterthought, she also grabbed the flute and headed for the exit.

* * *

Three ghost pirates rose up to intercept Jack Sparrow's jump. With a single flourish of his sword, they vanished to The Ghost Zone and his boots landed on the deck of Youngblood's ship. The small captain floated up to meet him. "Avast! You must be the true Jack Sparrow."

"Aye, but there should be a captain somewhere in that name."

"So that bilge rat we have in the brig was just an actor. He looks so much like you."

Jack Sparrow gave Youngblood a hurt look. "You mistook that man for me. We look nothing alike. He is a little too short and has nowhere near my charm."

Youngblood's right hook hand turned into a glowing green sword. "Well now I can have that duel I've been dreaming about."

"Hope it doesn't turn into a nightmare, mate." The two captains locked swords.

* * *

Valerie held her sword loosely in her left hand and used her right to fire her blaster pistol. She fired almost constantly to hold back the wave of ghost pirates. Her aim was lacking and many of her shots missed. Sam and Tucker moved behind her to try and keep any of the ghosts from flanking her.

Sam blocked a sword swing. "We need to find the entrance to the lower decks." She parried and thrusted the sword into the chest of the ghost, it cried out as it vanished.

Valerie managed to hit a ghost in the head and sent it flying over board. "You two geeks go; I'm having too much fun."

"We can't leave you alone up here."

"I don't need your help." Valerie took off in a run with a pack of ghost pirates behind her.

Tucker looked to Sam and shrugged. Sam sighed. "You stay up here and try to help. I'll find our parents."

"Be careful!" Tucker raced after Valerie.

Sam spotted a trapdoor and pulled it open. A rank odor of wet hair and fish filled her nose. She was regretting not having Tucker look while she helped Valerie. Sam glanced skyward. "Hurry Danny!"

* * *

Danny's progress had been hampered by a few pirates, but he had managed to dispatch them relatively easily. As he reached the main mast of Youngblood's ship. The green parrot blocked his path. "Out of my way Polly!"

"You will not ruin plans that have been a hundred years in the making." The parrot's voice was clear and dark. The parrot form morphed into an adult sized man-bird. His wings had harden and glistened like metal. "I gave you a chance to escape with your life." His eyes burned with red light. "But now I will rip you to shreds."

"Any chance you just want a cracker?" Danny blocked a swipe of one of his wings. The force of the blow tore the sword from his grasp and he watched it fall to the deck bellow. "Time out?" The parrot squawked and charged at him. "Guess not!" Danny went into a dive to recover his sword.

* * *

Sam poked through the ruined gun deck and thankfully found no sign of ghost or the adults. She reached a door and reached to open it. The door suddenly opened and knocked her down. She had to blink several times before she recognized who had opened it. It was Amber in a purple robe. "Amber?"

"Sam?" She bent down and helped her to her feet. "What are you doing here?"

"Some pirate ghosts kidnapped out parents. I came to rescue them." Sam looked over Amber's strange attire. "What are you doing here?"

"This strange music lured Zack here. I snuck onboard to try and get him out of here."

Sam managed a smirk. "So you do like him?"

Amber sighed. "It is hard to find a decent bass player, plus he does own the house I currently use for practice."

"You know where the adults are being held?"

"The bellow us in the hold. I think they are still in whatever trance that piper put them under." She held up the flute she had taken from The Ghost Piper. "I think I can lead them off with this."

"How did you get that?"

Amber laughed. "A cannon ball hit him. I guess that was from whatever ship that brought you here."

"It is a weird story. I fill you in after we save our parents." Sam walked away and didn't catch Amber's eyes glow as she smiled.

* * *

Valerie quickly found herself overwhelmed by the shear amount of ghosts that were attacking her. She managed to knockout a few of them before the blaster was knocked out of her hand by a sword. She tried to defend herself, but was thrown to the deck. One of the ghosts pushed a small pile of debris from the deck on top of her. Pinning her, face down to the deck.

"Hang on!" Tucker charged into the group with the loudest battle yell he could muster. The ghosts moved aside, he tripped over Valerie's leg, and crashed into one of the masts. He slumped to the deck, out cold.

The pirates laughed and turned their attention to the pinned girl. Before they could attack, a loud growl turned their gaze from Valerie to where Tucker had crashed. The boy was gone and a large werewolf dressed in tattered clothes stood before them. The pirate ghosts gulped as a group and slowly backed away. With a might howl from the werewolf, the ghost scattered as he gave pursuit.

Unable to see anything, Valerie struggled to push herself up. "What is going on?"

* * *

Diving down at high speed, Danny managed to grab his sword as he phased through the deck. The parrot started to follow, but Danny had turned around and punched the creature right in-between the eyes. The parrot cried out and floated back as Danny shook his hand. "Your skull turn to metal along with your wings?"

The ghost flew at him and swung his metal wings at high speeds. More prepared, Danny managed to block each attack. He jumped back and fired a ghost beam with his free hand. The parrot caught the attack in the chest. It started to push him back, but the ghost clenched the deck with his talons and prevented his movement. The parrot's eyes glowed red and fired a pair of energy beams from them. Danny ducked as they shot over head. Before he could stand, the ghost ripped some wooden planks up with his talons and flung them at Danny. Danny managed to phase through the planks, but it left him vulnerable to be captured by the ghost's talons. The talons dug deep into his shoulders and he had to grit his teeth to keep from yelling out in pain.

"You are out of your league boy!" The parrot squawked and started to fly upward. Carrying Danny as he went. "I will slam you into the ship so hard, it will sink."

"Won't that upset your captain?"

The ghost laughed. "That boy is merely my puppet. The triangle ghost portal will indeed transform all the adults to ghost, but then I will absorb their life force and become even more powerful." The parrot squeezed harder, sending the sharp talons deeper into Danny's shoulders. "With that power, The Ghost Zone shall be mine."

* * *

As if completely unaware of what was happening around them, the two captains dueled from one end of the ship to the other. Whatever advantage Sparrow had in height or reach was negated by Youngblood's ability to float. The pint sized pirate captain was able to dodge all the attacks Sparrow managed to get through and attack at angles that a normal person couldn't. But the differences in skill were apparent due Jack's ability to counter even the oddest attack from Youngblood. The two reached the main deck and dueled around the ship's navigation wheel. Swords clashed as the two moved to keep the wheel in-between each other.

Youngblood giggled as he blocked a sword swipe. "This is everything that a pirate duel should be."

Jack took a deep breath and pushed a thrust away from his body with his sword. "Aye, but how about a little break. I could have rum and you could have diet rum."

"Not a chance." Youngblood flew over a sword attack. "I don't want this to ever end."

"Great." Jack sighed as the duel continued. Despite all his power and conditioning, he was still human and he would begin to tire before the ghost captain. Jack suddenly jumped back and pulled his single shot pistol.

"That's cheating!"

Jack grinned. "Pirate!" He fired the pistol and the shot flew over Youngblood's head.

"You missed."

Jack chuckled. "That's what you think."

The shot hit the giant ghost parrot dead on. It yelled as black energy erupted from the shot and began to draw him into it. He released his hold on Danny as he was absorbed into the little metal ball. Danny managed to release enough energy to make his fall end in a small thud. He transformed back into his human form.

Youngblood scratched his head as he looked at the fallen form of Danny. "So that is what you aiming at."

"Of course." Jack pulled out The Fenton Thermos he had borrowed. "I would never shoot a child." He activated and the thermos sucked Youngblood into it. "But I will put them into time out."

A strange medley filled the air as Amber stepped out of the trapdoor. She was playing the flute almost as perfectly as The Ghost Piper. The adults followed her single file as she led them over to The Pearl. Sam appeared and quickly ran over to Danny. The boy was bleeding slightly from where the talons had sunk in. He was lucky his ghost form had managed to keep them from going deeper.

"Can you hear me?"

Danny managed a small smile. "Did we win?"

"Yeah!" A small bundle of cloth landed next to her. She looked up to see Jack walking over. Quickly she picked it up and began to bandage Danny's shoulders.

Jack bent down and picked up the metal ball that contained the trapped parrot. "Nasty little birdie."

Danny managed to sit up. "What was that thing?"

Before Jack could answer, The Ghost Piper phased through the deck. "A Demon Ghost. A powerful ghost that grows stronger by absorbing the energies of both people and ghosts."

Jack nodded. "I guess it was this thing that corrupted you." The ghost piper nodded. Jack glanced at the two teens and saw the puzzled looks on their faces. "The Ghost Piper is actually a helpful spirit. He uses his music to guide the souls of lost children so they don't become ghosts like the ones you normally encounter."

"He managed to possess the child who you know as Youngblood almost a hundred years ago. When I came for him, the demon ghost attacked me." The piper sighed. "We were fortunate that the child had such a strong will. It forced the ghost to play along with the pirate act until he could convince him to move along with his master plan. The energy that he would have gotten with these adults would have made him almost unstoppable."

Sam helped Danny to his feet. "What now?"

"Luckily there were others to take my place. I don't remember much of when I was corrupted, but I am sorry for what I have done." He turned to Jack. "I will take charge of Youngblood until he is ready to move on. With your permission of course."

Jack glanced at Danny. "Your call."

"He didn't seem like such a bad kid." Danny looked over to the line of adults being led to The Pearl. "And I guess no real harm was done."

Jack smiled and handed the thermos to The Ghost Piper. "I'll find a nice safe place to keep the bird."

"Thank you." The piper watched Amber disappear bellow the main deck. "Please destroy my flute after you are done so that is cannot bring harm to any others. I will craft another." He bowed and vanished.

Jack clasped and rubbed his hands together. "Well that ended nicely." He tossed the metal ball overboard. "The sea should keep that thing contained." He started to walk towards The Pearl. He stopped and reached behind some crates. He pulled a groggy and half naked Tucker up to his feet. "Look alive young man. You did a good job."

"I did?"

"Of course." Jack patted him on the back and the teen fell down. "Sorry about that?"

He turned to walk and ran into himself. The two pirates looked each other over and began to mimic each other's movements. "You are the best looking stunt double I have ever seen." Johnny Depp looked over to The Pearl. "And when did we build a full sized replica?"

Jack pinched a nerve on the back of his neck and dropped to the deck, out cold. "I still don't see the resemblance."

* * *

After about an hour, The Black Pearl sailed away from what was left of Youngblood's ship. The ghost ship slowly began to sink into the sea. Jack gave it a quick salute with his hat. "Not as good as The Pearl, but a fine ship no the less." A few drops of sleeping potion made sure everyone except Danny and his two friends would be out for the trip home. A small combination of hypnoses and the sleep would keep the exact details of the encounter hidden and forgotten. Danny walked up next to him and Jack produced the fan. "Up to give us a quick push home."

Danny smiled. "No rush, Captain."

Jack grinned and changed their course slightly. "Good! I know this little island on the way home where the still know how to throw a welcome party."

Danny laughed. "Drink up me hearties."

"Yo ho!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the long wait. Finals week was tough.


	37. Attack on the ghost prison

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the wait. Been very busy with other things. Hope update much more often during the summer.

* * *

**Somewhere Deep in the Ghost Zone**

Technus sat at the controls as he drove the assault train through the zone. Their destination had just appeared on the radar. He adjusted the vehicle's course to match. "Master, we will be within striking range of the prison in just ten minutes."

"Maintain current speed!" Plasmus walked toward the forward view screen. The collection of buildings was surrounded by a large metal wall composed of the rare alloy called Nith. Nith was one of the few substances that ghost couldn't pass through. He chuckled as the prison's image grew as they got closer. "Walker's Ghost Prison, the only true source of order in the Ghost Zone."

"Are you sure about this my lord?" Red appeared next to Plasmus. "The prison has stood firm for centuries. The prison is not only protected by a wall, but also a small army of powerful ghost. Plus there is also the warden. He is rumored to be one of the original elder ghosts."

The elder ghosts had been a group of powerful ghost that had organized the zone into a place of peace and order. They had been wiped out long ago and the zone had change to what it is today. Plasmus's eyes narrowed at the possibility. "Do you believe these rumors?"

"I am considered one of the oldest ghost still around." Red sighed. "Walker and his prison were here in the zone long before I came to be."

"I see." Plasmus turned from the screen and walked to the back of the command room. "I will have to tread carefully when I confront him."

"No one has ever stood up to Walker and survived."

Plasmus laughed. "But I have a trump card." He patted a long and thin wooden box he had brought onboard. "It took years and millions of dollars, but I have my equalizer. You and the others handle the secondary business, leave Walker to me!"

An alarm went off and the lights turned red. Technus turned from the controls. "The prison is now in range."

Plasmus opened the box. "Begin."

* * *

Besides the main engine, there were three cars that made up the train. The caboose of the train exploded apart and several missiles lashed out and flew at the prison. Most of the missiles impacted the wall and ripped it apart. The remaining ones managed to fly into the prison and blasted apart a few of the buildings. Ghost prisoners flooded the main yard in the center of the prison. The third car's roof opened and ten cylinder pods shot out of it. They landed in the yard and slid open. Each contained a small array of anti-ghost weapons. The prisoners were quick to grab what they could and open fire on the approaching guards. With the first two packages delivered, the second car fell apart and reviled a large hover tank. The tank powered on and was launched from the train. It shot through the hole in the wall and opened fire with its large main gun. The blasts from the cannon ripped holes into the remaining buildings and released more prisoners. As guards began to fly toward it, the tank sparked and transformed into a ten foot tall robot with a skull like face and a glowing green Mohawk. The tank's main gun attached to the robot's right arm. From inside, Skulker smiled.

"Now this is hunting."

* * *

From his office, Walker stood at his desk and pounded on the intercom buttons. "What is going on out there?" All he could hear was the explosions and shouting from outside. He grabbed his hat and started for the door. He stopped when a shadow appeared in his doorway. "Who are you?" The shadow walked into the light and Walker instantly recognized him. "Vlad Plasmus."

Plasmus smiled. "I am happy to hear that tales of my glory has been recognized even this far out."

"More like tales of lunacy. The Ghost Zone is chaotic enough without your mad grab at power."

"It is much more than an attempt my dear warden." Plasmus's eyes sparkled. "Much more."

"All I see is a another would be conquer who will collapse under the weight of his own ego. I've seen it hundreds of times and you know what happened to all of them?" Walker tapped the top of his desk. "They all ended up here. Rulers of nothing save their tiny cells for the rest of eternity."

"Then you can appreciate the irony that my rise to power will begin here."

"Your seem pretty sure of yourself, punk. Considering your standing in the middle of my prison."

Plasmus chuckled and held up a long item wrapped in purple cloth. "Oh I am well aware of my standing right now." He began to unwrap the item. "In terms of age, I might as well still be in diapers compared to you." The cloth fell away and reviled the item to be a slightly curved sword with a three foot long blade. "And the fact you are more powerful than I currently am has not escaped me. But, I did bring an equalizer."

Walker glanced at the strange blade. His face didn't shift. "That little knife is supposed to scare me?"

"I am not surprised to see you don't know this weapon. This fine sword was forged on Earth, not the Ghost Zone. A piece of the power left over from the creation of the Ghost Zone managed to find its way to Earth ended up in a land called Ireland. The land was plagued by a terrible creature known as a banshee. The banshee had a powerful wail that broke even the strongest men to pieces." He chuckled. "Often literally." Plasmus pointed the blade at Walker. "A man, whose name is lost to history, found the piece of power and forged it into the blade you see before you. He hunt the creature down and plunged it into the creature's heart. But rather than kill the creature, the blade absorbed it. Thus the Banshee Blade was born."

"The point of that little story was?"

"This!" With a slight flick of his wrist, a loud wail issued from the sword like a shockwave. It hit Walker and slammed into his desk. The desk then shattered under the force of the wail. "I like it when my enemies know exactly how I defeated them. Makes it much more enjoyable."

Walker struggled to find his footing. He felt like layers of his very being had been slowly torn away from along with a portion of his power. "What was that?"

"What?" Plasmus gave the sword a light swing and another wail sent Walker into one of the walls. "Oh that!" Plasmus chuckled. "The power of the banshee is locked in this blade. I am able to unleash it with the slightest motion of my arm." He walked over to another wall that was covered in weapons and trophies that Walker had gathered from his prisoners. His eyes landed on a large sword sealed in a glass case. The blade was solid black save for green glowing cracks all along it. They pulsed like glowing veins. "Ah, just what I came for." Plasmus shattered the case with his fist and grabbed the handle.

"Not on my watch!" Walker pushed himself up. "I will commit myself to oblivion before I let you have that sword." His hands pulsed with white energy. He fired two white beams of intense light at Plasmus.

Plasmus brought up The Soul Shredder to block and both beams hit the blade. The cracks on the blade glowed brighter and absorbed the beams of light. Green tendrils of light snaked out from the handle of the sword. They implanted themselves into his wrist. Instead of pain, Plasmus felt a wave of warmth as the energy from Walker's attack was transferred to him. "So the legend of sword is true." He swung The Banshee Blade as hard as he could. The wail issued from it was so intense, that the wall behind Walker crumbled and he was blasted out of the office.

Out in the yard, the fighting stopped as Walker landed in the middle of it. Guards and prisoner ghosts turned and saw Plasmus float over the fallen warden. In the entire history of The Ghost Zone, Walker had never been challenged.

Red landed on a nearby roof, overlooking the scene. He cupped his hands over his mouth to amplify his voice. "Behold the future ruler of The Ghost Zone. The most powerful ghost to ever exists, Vlad Plasmus."

Skulker pushed himself through the crowd. He raised his hand and began to chant. "Plasmus." At first he was alone, but then a few other ghosts joined him. Soon the few had become a wave that filled the prison. Walker's stone face broke when he saw every prisoner and a few of his guards were chanting Plasmus over and over.

Plasmus simply laughed as he let the glory of the chant wash over him.

* * *

A few minutes later, Plasmus and his team were on the train and heading back home. Red had waited from his master to stop admiring his new sword before stepping forward to speak. "I apologize for doubting you. Not only do you have the most powerful ghost weapon in existence. Almost all the ghosts in the prison are ready to pledge themselves to your service."

"Merely icing on the preverbal cake, Red. The additions to my forces, while welcome, was not a part of my master plan."

"The sword then?"

"The sword is simply a key." Plasmus glanced up and smiled at Red's confusion. "One of three pieces that will unlock the ultimate power."

Red suddenly realized what Plasmus was talking about. "That power has been lost for millennia."

"And soon it will rest in my hands. I will gain the power that brought The Ghost Zone and all the realms of existence to its knees." He stood up. "The power of the first, last and only ghost king ever to live, Pariah Dark."


	38. The next day

In an unknown section of the zone, a solid sphere of black metal sat among a large field of floating rocks and rubble. Unlike the rest of the zone, this zone was free of any form of life or ghosts. Within the sphere was a small collection of rooms and a large dome shaped meeting area. In the center of the room, a portal in the shape of clock appeared and Clockwork stepped through it. The ghost of time hatted coming here. For all his control of time, he still found it wasted whenever he had to come here. This was the home of The Observants, a group of thirteen ghosts who have been charged to oversee all things in the universe. They carefully documented everything that ever happened, no matter how trivial or small. Clockwork was in charge of keeping everything balanced and they were the fulcrum on which the balance was perched. The darkened room lit up and thirteen ghosts who looked like normal humans except with eyeballs for heads. They wore simple white robes with green trim. The Observants floated around him and each spoke a sentence after the other.

"We must speak with you guardian of time. Things are beginning to spiral out of control. The hybrid not only has one of three keys, he has expressed a desire to unlock what should never be freed."

"One of the keys is far out of his reach." Clockwork concentrated to keep himself in his youthful adult form. "But that is not why you summoned me here."

"Despite all your efforts and Sparrows constant bending of the rules has done nothing to change the future."

"For a group who pride themselves on being observant, you all are amazingly blind. Nothing will change until Danny confronts the Great Disaster. His actions at that point and no other will determine the future outcome."

"We find it hard to believe this one human boy is so important."

"You see things as they happen; I see all the paths that the universe may traverse. I have traced the nearly infinite possibilities and all of them came together at the point of Danny's accident."

One of the Observants floated down and stopped in front of Clockwork. "Perhaps we should take over the boy's training. You do have more important tasks to worry about."

Clockwork turned to leave. His clock faced portal opened. "I'm afraid your shortsightedness would doom us all. Don't summon me again!" Clockwork stepped through the portal and it shut.

The Observant that had been floating in front of Clockwork sighed and its eye began to glow black. "Perhaps we will be served better by a different ghost of time."

* * *

The Black Pearl floated into Amity Park Harbor and stopped near the dock. The plank was dropped and the adults stepped off the ship in a daze. As soon as everyone was off, they snapped back to their senses. The adults looked around and wondered why they were all on the docks in their sleepwear. Jack Fenton climbed onto some crates.

"Attention parents of Amity Park. It is clear we were taken hostage by some vile seafaring ghosts."

"Then what happened?"

Maddie looked at the ship and then spotted Johnny Depp, still in his pirate costume. "I think he saved us." The crowd quickly swarmed the actor and lifted him up. They cheered his name as they carried him into town.

Jack Sparrow simply sighed as he watched them go. "That's the only problem with this job. No credit."

Danny leaned against the railing next to him. "Thanks for all the help Captain."

Jack chuckled. "Thanks mate." He glanced over at Sam. "Your girl seems to be a little a distracted."

"She doesn't feel right wiping Amber's mind. She really helped out back there."

"I agree, but too many people know about you and what is at stake already." Jack headed for the wheel. "You guys better head home. School is in a few hours."

"We just saved half the parents in the city and we still have to go to school."

"Price of the teenaged superhero, mate."

* * *

'_Price indeed!' _Danny slumped through the hallway and yawned with practically every step. He started to open his locker, but fell asleep with his head propping him up against the locker. Tucker walked up and started to walk him, but yawned and joined him with his head propping him up against the locker next to Danny.

"Now isn't this cute." The voice came from a girl with a southern accent. Danny and Tucker managed to snap out of their sleep and turn around. They had to use their lockers to keep themselves standing. The girl had fiery red hair and wore a green skirt and a white shirt. "You two stay up to late last night?"

Danny yawned, "Pirates and Ghost."

Tucker sighed. "Pirate ghosts!"

Penelope giggled. "Why I am attracted to geeks, I'll never know." She sighed. "So I guess we won't be able to make out in the janitor closet, Tucker."

Energy seemed to flow through Tucker's body and he jumped to his feet. "I' was just taking a quick nap, but I am wide awake." Penelope smirked and walked down the hall. Tucker quickly followed with a spring in his step."

Danny tried to laugh, but dropped to the floor and fell asleep. He didn't notice as Sam walked up to him. She watched as he slept. He must have only gotten about two hours of sleep this morning. She was torn between waking him up for class and letting him sleep. She paused as she realized she felt like she had had a full night sleep. Sam bent down and reached out for Danny. She tapped him on the shoulder, but he was as still as stone. She looked around and found everyone motionless, frozen in whatever activity they were doing.

"What is going on?"

"Sam!" Clockwork's voice echoed around the hall. "Please come to the gym."

Sam walked carefully around the frozen teenagers and adults. She stopped as she spotted Dash sneaking up on younger kid. His face gave away he was about to give the poor kid a wedgie. Sam saw Paulina nearby with a book in her hand. Sam smirked and quickly pulled the book from the frozen girl's grasp. She threw it as hard as she could. The book flew a foot and stopped in midair. Satisfied with her work, she continued down the hall until she reached the gym. Clockwork was floating next to one of his time portals.

"Sorry to make you come to me, but I can ill afford for anyone to be accidently pulled into the past."

"Did you slow time for me when I went to sleep?"

"Yes. You will need to be alert to survive the time I am sending you to. I am sending you to the past to meet an ancestor of yours. So far, she was the strongest oracle to exist. I cannot tell you the exact date or place, nor should you be specific about where or when you are from. Your ancestor will have a rough idea, but no one else must find out."

"I understand, but why are you sending me to the past."

"I am bending some universal laws, but I believe the benefits outweigh the risks. Your ancestor will be able to help you control your powers even at your young age."

"Will I be able to help Danny after this?"

"Possibly! The events and the outcome of The Great Disaster has been hidden from my eyes for centuries. Only an oracle can pierce the vale of shadows that hide it. You won't get a clear picture, but hopefully we can gain some clues that will help us change the future."

Sam nodded, "I'm ready."

"Good luck!"

Sam stepped through the portal.


	39. Timestream

Sam felt a wave of dizziness as she passed through the portal and stepped on a cobble stone street. A cold breeze brought the stench of smoke and filth to her nose. She was standing in an alleyway under a dark cloudy sky. A long black cape fluttered out of the portal and landed on her shoulder. She muttered a thank you as the portal shut. Sam wrapped the cape around her and found a hood attached to it. The cape did a remarkable job keeping her warm, but she bet it was more to hide her modern clothes. As she started to pull the hood over her head, a man stepped into view. He was filthy and smelled of liquor. His clothes and hair were greasy and disheveled, but for some reason, he had the most attractive face Sam had ever seen. His eyes were a piercing blue and his teeth were yellow save for a pair of pearl white fangs.

"Off the beaten path my child?" His voice had a thick British accent. His words seemed to be like chains, trapping Sam where she stood. He slowly approached her, his clawed hands reaching for her. "Do you need help finding home?"

Sam tried speaking, but her heart was beating faster than she thought possible. Her legs seemed anchored to the ground.

His claws touched her shoulder. "Such a young lady, wandering these dark and lonely alleys." He pushed her head to the side to get a better angle at her neck. "Don't worry, I will help you along." Before his fangs could touch her neck, a large wooden spike impaled him through the center of his chest. Ash poured out of the wound and the man exploded into ash and dust.

Sam blinked as the effect the man had over her vanished. A man dressed in leather armor with a white hooded robe over it stood in front of her. The hood left only his nose and mouth visible. He slipped the wooden spike into a bandoleer that was strapped around his shoulder. "Who are you?"

The man looked around. "Are you Sam?" He also had a British accent, but it wasn't as thick as the one that exploded into ash.

"Yes."

He grabbed her arm. "We must go!" He pulled her out of the alley and shoved her into a waiting carriage. He jumped in and pounded the side. The carriage began to move.

Sam pulled away from him. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what is going on. That was a vampire back there."

"My name is Ezio, I am a member of the Assassin Brotherhood. The Oracle sent out a message to me that said I would find a woman in strange clothes named Sam in that alley at that time."

"The Oracle? If she knew when and where, why didn't she just meet me?"

"Many seek The Oracle's power for themselves. She was in the city, but it became too dangerous for her to remain."

"What city?"

"I was instructed to tell you as little about where you are as possible. The name I given you is not my own."

"What can you tell me?"

"Everything I just have."

Sam sighed and sat back in the plush seat. "At least you picked a nice ride."

Ezio pulled out a metal blade from his bandoleer. "Stay down!" He flung it up with enough force to go through the roof of the carriage. She heard a yell and something fell off the carriage. "She found out."

"Who?"

Ezio didn't answer as he pushed the door open and leapt onto the carriage roof. He looked over and found the carriage driver missing. He grasped the reins and tied them to the baggage bar. He just prayed the road stayed straight. A vampire leapt from a building and landed in front of Ezio. He lashed out with his claws, but Ezio quickly dodged the attacks. He knew full well that one good blow could cleave his head from his body. He flicked his wrist a metal rod slid out of his leather gauntlet and a small hook blade snapped out of it. He dodged a swing from the vampire's right hand. Ezio swiped with the hook blade and it sliced the vampire's arm off. Ash poured from the stump and momentarily stunned the creature. Without missing a beat, he slammed the wooden spike into the chest of the vampire. It fell from the carriage and exploded into ash and dust. Ezio looked up and spotted two more vampires running along the roofs. As they lunged towards him, two arrows shot out and stuck them down. A man in a leather coat and hat rode up on a horse and climbed up onto the carriage. He held a large repeating crossbow in his hands.

"Ezio!"

"Hellsing!"

He motioned to the carriage. "The girl?"

"Fine. You received a message as well?"

"It said that a carriage would fly down this road at this hour being chased by vampires. The girl needs to be protected until we reach The Oracle."

"She could have told me about them."

"That is not how it works."

"As I have been told."

Sam stuck her head out of the window. "What is going on and who is that?"

Before they could answer, a flurry red cloth enveloped them and they were flung off the carriage. A cold, strong hand grabbed Sam's throat and pulled her out of the carriage. The hand belonged to a beautiful woman with hair as red as her dress. Her green eyes seemed to cut right through Sam as she stared at her. "Who are you and where are you from?" He voice was as soft as velvet, but had the power of stone behind it.

"Sam Manson." Sam felt compelled to tell her the truth. She tried to lie, but found herself unable to speak anything else but the truth. "I'm from Amity Park in America."

"I am unfamiliar with this place you speak of." She ran one of her painted nails across Sam's neck and left a deep scratch. She licked the drop of blood from her nail. "Your blood has a spark of power. Where are you going?"

"To see The Oracle."

The woman smiled. "Tell me where she is!"

"I don't know!"

The carriage suddenly dropped to the right and both Sam and the woman fell. Sam was caught before she hit. She was being carried under a man's arm. He held a slightly curved sword in his free hand. He was Japanese with long hair tied back in a long ponytail. He wore metal armor with a red and blue robe over it. "Are you alright, Sam?" His English wasn't as bad as she would have thought.

"I've been better. Can you put me down?"

"That wouldn't be wise."

The woman in red pulled herself up from the street. She had a multitude of scratches and scrapes, but they slowly began to heal. She started to walk towards them, but Ezio and Hellsing quickly ran up to flank the new man holding Sam. "Another time!" She leapt high into the air and disappeared over a building.

The man holding Sam set her down. "My apologize for the rough landing." She looked at the crashed carriage and saw that the wheels had been cut in half as they had been turning.

"How did you do that?"

"I was told to call myself Musashi." He sheathed his sword and turned to the others. "Sorry I couldn't help earlier, but my message was clear about timing."

Hellsing simply nodded. "We understand. Any more surprises ahead?"

"I don't think so. My message was clear on the location of The Oracle."

Ezio chuckled. "A clear message from the Oracle, something must be wrong."

* * *

The four traveled on foot for several hours through the a dense forest before reaching a cave at the base of a mountain. Musashi pointed at the cave's entrance. "She resides in there. Our journey is at an end."

Sam looked nervously at the cave. "That is it. After all that, you guys are just leaving me."

Hellsing turned to leave. "The Oracle planned all the events that have happened since you arrived. Our placement and actions were part of something that is beyond us. Good luck." He vanished into the forest. Ezio simply bowed and vanished into the trees with one leap.

"Regrettably, I cannot make such a grand exit. I wish you a long and well life." Musashi simply walked back the way they had come.

"Great!" Sam cautiously stepped into the dark cave and used her hand to guide herself along. As she walked, she could see firelight further down. She sped up and walked into a small cavern. Torches were placed along the walls along with several cloth tapestries. A small fire sat in the center in front of a makeshift tent. An old woman with long gray hair sat in front of the fire. Her face was so wrinkled; Sam couldn't tell what side of her family she could have been from. She motioned for her to sit on a cushion on the opposite side of the fire. They sat there for a while before Sam found the courage to speak. "You knew I was coming?"

"Yes!" The Oracle's voice was distant, but still strong. "I have known of your arrival for several years. I have studied the events of your path to me and placed men with certain abilities at each point you would have met your demise. All to insure you acquire what you need in order to complete your destiny."

"Do you know my destiny?"

"I do not. The life and paths of oracles is the one thing truly hidden from us. My ancestor knew nothing of me or me of you. The only reason I had a vision of you was because our paths have crossed at this point." The Oracle pulled out a small cup and cloth bag. "You have awaken before your time and thus are not prepared for the visions you will be seeing." She set the cup down and opened the bag. "I must warn you; this path will not be easy. Are you ready for the burden that you will soon take upon your shoulders? Are you ready for the consequences?"

"Consequences?"

"Many! First of all, you will see all the events that lead to your own death."

"What?" Sam jumped to her feet.

"It insures that we not waste one moment of our time in this world. Ever since I awoke, I have known I would die shortly after I gave you what you needed. The time, place, and circumstance were burnt into my memory all my life. It has brought me peace of not needing to worry about when my time was to end."

"Will I see that when I fully awaken?"

"Yes." She sprinkled a strange powder into the cup and it turned into a milky liquid. "Sit if you wish to awaken, or leave." Sam sat down. The Oracle handed her the cup. This will put you into a dreamlike state while out minds connect. When you awake, all that I have developed will be yours. It will take some time for you to control your abilities fully, but you will in time." Sam slowly gulped the liquid down. In no time, her world went black.

* * *

Sam felt like she was floating through a purplish haze as images swirled around her. Some she recognized, others she didn't. A spot of pure darkness was in front of her. As she approached it, she felt a cold shiver. She paused and looked at the darkness. It was beckoning for her to enter, taunted her with what she feared the most. Sam gathered her courage and lunged into the darkness.

She was enveloped in pure cold as she seemed to fall. Images of a man with a burning crown passed by her eyes with four fireballs behind him. The man's face was blurred and quickly vanished as she fell onto what felt like concrete.

Sam sat up and found herself back in Amity Park. Most of it was covered in a thick dark fog, but the parts she could see stood in ruins. Fires were ever where and she could her screams and sirens past the fog. A streak of light flew past her and crashed into the street. It turned out to be Danny Phantom. A strange green and black sword was in his hand. He spoke, but Sam couldn't hear what he was saying. A flare went off and a creature landed in front of her. Dressed in black armor with wisps of flame coming off it, it wore a garish mask that looked like a fanged skull. A long sword was in its gauntlet hand. It burned with dark light. Danny and the creature charged one another and their blades clashed. The exchange was one almost one sided as the creature pushed Danny back. With a quick move, he knocked Danny's sword from his grasp. With a single thrust of his free hand, he slammed Danny back several feet into a wall. Sam yelled as the creature dashed forward with the blade set to impale him.

* * *

Sam woke up and found herself still sitting in the cavern. The Oracle simply nodded to her. "It is done."

"I saw…"

The Oracle held her hand up. "It is not for me to know. Your path is now your own." She reached into her robe and pulled out a glass vile filled with a reddish liquid. "My family has held onto this for countless centuries. When the time comes, it will aid you greatly." She handed it to Sam.

"What is it?"

"You will know when the time is proper." She motioned behind her. "A secret passage is behind my tent that will take you to safety."

"Safety?"

"The woman vampire that attacked you is the self-styled queen of the vampires. The drop of blood she drank from you was enough to let her track you here."

"Then we should go."

"No! This is my destiny. Go!"

Sam heard footsteps from the cave's entrance. She jumped to her feet and ran behind the tent. A small passage was partially hidden behind a large stone. Sam looked back once, but then took off, down the passage. As she exited the passage, she heard and explosion and the sound of the cavern filling with rubble. A time portal appeared in front of her. Sam sighed and stepped through it.

* * *

Sam stepped into the gym and her cape vanished. Clockwork was floating a few feet away. Sam only hand one thing to say. "Why? Why send me back at that point in time?"

"To kill two birds with one stone. Time is not on your side." Clockwork vanished.

Sam shook her head, but the image of the woman vampire appeared in her mind. "Oh no!" She sprinted into the hall and past Dash who was yelling at Paulina for throwing her book at him. She nearly tripped over the sleeping form of Danny. She tried to shake him awake. "Danny, where is Tucker?"

"Janitor closet." Danny's eyes closed and fell back asleep.

Sam ran to the nearest closet and threw open the door. Tucker was standing inside it with his back towards her. She reached out towards him. Something grabbed the back of her collar and yanked her across the hall and into an empty classroom. Sam crashed into a few desks and fell to the floor. A cut was on her forehead. Penelope slammed the door shut and crushed the knob with inhuman strength.

"You remember me?"

Sam tried to get up, but her left leg didn't want to support her. "You survived the cave in."

"Yes!" Penelope slowly approached her. "When I got to see The Oracle, she muttered something about destiny and then set off the explosives she had set throughout the cavern. It took me almost fifty years to dig myself out of that tomb. Fifty years without blood or my servants." She bent down and ran her finger across Sam's cut. "The only thing that kept me going was knowing where to find you. I have waited and planned all that time for you to appear. I changed my form to look younger, but when you didn't recognize me, I figured we hadn't had met yet. So here we are." She licked Sam's blood from her finger. "With the power of the Oracle running in your veins. I don't know how you did it and I really don't care. Soon I will have what I want."

Sam closed her eyes and reached out with her thoughts. _"Danny!"_

* * *

In the hallway, Danny snapped awake and phased through the floor when no one was looking. He transformed and shot through the ground. He couldn't see, but knew where to go. As Penelope bent down to bite Sam, he flew out of the floor and unphased. He tackled Penelope and flung her clear of Sam. Penelope spun in midair and landed on the wall. She stuck to it like spider-man. Danny fired a ghost beam, but Penelope did a cartwheel along the wall and dodged the attack. She charged across the room in a single bound and grabbed Danny's neck. She squeezed just enough to force him to focus just on breathing.

"Another man attempts to get in my way." Her eyes narrowed and started to shine. "You are unlike any other I have encountered. What are you?" Danny sputtered as he tried to speak. Penelope chuckled and loosened her grip slightly. "What are you?"

"A half ghost!" Danny felt the words being forced from his mouth.

"Half ghost?" The vampire looked him over with a puzzled look. "I was unaware such a thing was possible. I wonder what power I would gain if I drain you. Or should I just turn you into my slave. Such decisions."

Sam tried to stand, but was overcome by a wave of dizziness. "Danny!" She felt herself slipping away and collapsed on the floor. At the same time, Danny felt sudden warmth as if a blanket was wrapped around him. Energy surged through his hands and blasted Penelope back.

"What is this? No man can break my hold."

Danny rubbed his neck. "First time for everything." He flew at her and lunched a flurry of kicks and punches. Each strike had more power behind it than he ever had before and despite her enhanced strength, Penelope fell back under the blows.

"Enough!" Penelope ran and crashed through a window. Her skin started to smoke as the sun hit it. "I will be back!" She leapt over the wall at high speed.

Danny started to give chase, but stopped when he felt Sam call to him in the back of his head. He landed next to her and placed his hand over the cut on her forehead. He felt the warmth from earlier leave him and Sam opened her eyes. "Was that you?"

"I might have picked up a few new tricks." She rubbed her eyes. "Gave me a headache thou."

"Let's get you bandaged up and home. I think we can skip class."

"Best idea I heard all day."

* * *

At the end of the night, the janitor pushed his mop bucket into the closet for the night. He paused for a moment at the teenage boy standing in the center of it starring at the wall. He shrugged and slammed the door shut. Tucker snapped out of his trance and looked around. "Did I miss something?"

* * *

Penelope cursed as she stumbled through an alley. She needed to find someone to feed on to help her restore her strength. All of a sudden, a metal spike filled with green liquid was slammed into her chest. She screamed as the liquid was injected into her. Her body began to turn to dust, but was replaced with a transparent version of her. Plasmus stood over her as her transformation was complete. "Did you really think a vampire could sneak into the city without my knowledge? I let you play your game, but I'm afraid you almost interfered with my plans." He turned and a portal appeared. "Your life as a vampire is over. Now rise Penelope Spectra, my newest minion."


	40. The Question

It was Friday and while everyone else was thinking of the weekend, Danny was thinking about Sam. They had known each other for only a short amount of time, but his feelings for her had grown quickly. She had done so much for him and asked little more than friendship in return. Whatever had happened last week during his fight with that vampire, he had felt a connection with Sam that was deeper than anything he had ever felt. Not even when he uses to drool over Paulina. Danny decided to take Sam out to thank her for everything she had done for him. But he had no clue how to ask or where to take her. Her family was rich and she had probably gone to distant and exotic locations. Where could he take her that wasn't completely lame in comparison?

* * *

Danny's first stop after school was the warehouse. His training sessions with Jack had gotten more intense as Danny had now mastered most of the basics. The Ring of Varda continued to enhance his powers and allowed him to see what he could really do. Jack was doing a one handed handstand while balancing his sword on his foot. He waved his free hand at Danny.

"Hey, just practicing a little trick a yoga master in China taught me." He kicked the sword into the air and rolled to his feet. He held his hand out and the blade landed in his hand. Jack yelled and held his bleeding hand. "Guess I need more practice."

"You're lucky it didn't cut your hand off."

"But it didn't so no worries." Jack walked to his desk and wrapped his hand with a bandage. "So what do you wish to practice today?"

"Actually, I need you advice, about a girl."

"Ah!" Jack smiled and stroked his goatee. "You came to the right person, mate. When a man and a woman love each other very much…"

"Not that! I want to ask Sam out and I have no idea how to do it and where to take her."

"Oh!" Jack sat down and motioned for Danny to sit near him. "You need to be dashing. Girls love dashing, with an air of mystery and adventure about you. When they look at you, they must be drawn to the exciting unknown that is you."

"She has been in my head. I doubt much is unknown."

"Right!" Jack scratched his head. "You go the local tavern and bribe the barkeep..."

"Under aged."

"You're not making this easy. How about jewelry?"

"Almost broke."

"Then just ask her for dinner or something. The worst that could happen is that it is a total disaster."

Danny sighed. "Thanks Jack!"

"Say again!"

"Captain Jack."

* * *

He thought about his friend, Tucker and then quickly dismissed the idea. He loved his friend like a brother, but his skills with girls are worse than his own. His only other options were his parents or risk talking to Sam's best friend, Amber. Preferring to face physical pain than the embarrassment, he headed for Zack's house. As he reached Zack's block, he could here Amber's band playing from the garage. A small group of teens were standing around the open garage, each held a base guitar. The music stopped abruptly and he could Amber shouting loudly. She didn't like the latest person to tryout. Fearing talking to her now might be fatal; he turned to leave and ran into Zack. The injured base player was using a cane to keep himself standing.

"You don't look so good."

Zack's eyebrow rose. "You came all this way to comment on how badly I'm beat up?"

"No! I wanted to talk to Amber, but…" He glanced back to the garage. "…she seems busy."

"You have a message from Sam?"

"I just wanted to know what kind of places Sam likes, a restaurant or something."

Zack chuckled and coughed. "You came here to ask Amber what would be a good place to ask Sam out too."

"Kind of."

"Good thing you didn't. She probably slam her guitar over your head for even thinking you were good enough for Sam." Zack motioned for Danny to follow him as he walked into the house. "Personally, I think Sam is more than capable of beating you senseless if you try anything." He went to a small desk in the living room and fish out a small poster. "Some gothic circus is set to open tomorrow on the outskirts of town. It would have had more fan fair if weren't for all the ghosts attacks."

Danny took the poster. "Circus Gothika! Well the poster certainty makes it look creepy."

"I thought the band could use some downtime, but Amber is a little obsessed right now."

"I could tell. Thanks!"

* * *

Danny made his way to address on the poster and found a large circus lay before him. The main tent was huge and surrounded by smaller tents and cages. Instead of the normal bright colors, everything was painted with dark shades of green, red, and black. He spotted a clown walking around and it looked like it belonged in a horror movie. A small line was in front of the ticket booth. The people waiting were a mix of different ages and ethnicity, but all wore dark clothes and looked like they hadn't bathed in a while. He started to walk to the line, but froze when he saw Vlad Masters with a blond haired woman walking behind him with a clipboard in hand.

"Uncle Vlad?"

Vlad turned and smiled at him. "Daniel!"

"What are you doing here?"

"The city council and The Organization of Concern Mothers wanted to shut this place down because the recent ghost attacks. I convinced them to let me observe the opening night before making any rash decisions." He motioned towards the woman. "This is my new secretary Ms. Wentworth."

"Hi!"

Ms. Wentworth simply turned away and continued reading from her clipboard.

Vlad shrugged. "She is not much of people person. So what brings you here?"

"I kind of wanted to bring a girl here."

"Sam Manson?"

"How did you know?"

"You've mentioned her before. So your this will be your first date." Danny nodded and Vlad slapped him on the shoulder. "Our young Danny is slowly becoming a man." He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a pair of tickets. "Here, they gave me four tickets, but I only need two."

"Thanks!"

"And!" Vlad reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He handed Danny a fifty dollar bill. "Take this as well."

"I can't accept this."

"Daniel." Vlad knelled next to Danny. "The first time you do anything is special. I may be a billionaire, but I still remember my first million." He showed Danny a picture from his wallet. "I even have a picture of it. So please let me help you make your first date special."

Danny took the money. "Thanks Uncle Vlad."

"Now run along and don't worry, you won't see me." Danny ran off and Vlad chuckled as he left.

Ms. Wentworth sighed. "How long are you going to play this game with the child?"

"Don't question how I do things, Spectra. Remember you place now."

Her eyes shined with red light. "You may have bonded me to your service, but you won't be able to keep me in your servitude forever. The moment your will weakens, I will strike."

"Until then my dear." They walked between to tents and he transformed into Plasmus. "Now then, I want to find out if the rumors about this place are true. Ghost sightings and mysterious robberies from every city this place has been. I have a feeling someone or something interesting can be found here."

* * *

When Danny got home, he carefully checked to make sure that his family was busy with their own things before picking up the phone in the living room. After the uproar of Jazz's first date, Danny wanted to keep this quiet. He dialed Sam's number and waited. An old man's voice issued from the phone.

"Manson's residence."

"Can I talk to Sam?"

"The young lady of the house, or the gardener?"

Danny actually had to think about the question for a moment. "Sam Manson."

"Who my I ask is calling?"

"Danny Fenton, I'm one of her classmates."

"One moment, sir." Danny could hear keys on a keyboard. "I have confirmed your status as Sam's classmate. I will tell the young mistress you are on the phone." Music came over the phone as he was placed on hold. He waited almost five minutes before Sam picked up.

"Danny?"

"Yeah it is me."

"You need something."

"I was wondering if you had plans for tomorrow night."

Sam's tone changed as she guessed Danny's next question. "No, I'm free."

"Then would…you…ah…" Danny found himself sweating. "I was wondering if you would like to go to a gothic circus."

"Really?"

"Yeah. One is opening up tomorrow night. I have tickets and thought you would like to go."

"With you?"

"If that is alright?"

Sam laughed. "Of course it is alright. How about you come and pick me up at five? I'll have our driver take us."

"Great, I'll be there."

"See you then." Sam hung up and Danny just stood with the phone to his ear listening to dial tone. With a big smile on his face.


	41. Date Night

It was noon on Saturday and Danny was a nervous wreck. He had to shower three times since this morning because he was sweating so much. He didn't know what to wear or what kind of gift he should bring with him. What would you wear to a gothic circus? Maybe he should put on his suit considering he was going to the upper class section of the city. He sighed and beat his head against his desk. Jazz walked past his closed door and heard the loud thumping sound of skull on wood. She gently pushed open the door and nearly fell down laughing at the sight in front of her. Danny was sitting at his desk, in his boxer shorts, banging his head against his desk. She waited for few moments before speaking.

"Are you alright, little brother?"

Danny snapped to his feet and quickly jumped to his bed and tried to cover himself with his blanket. "Jazz, don't you knock?"

"You were doing plenty of knocking on your own. Trying to give yourself a concussion before your date?"

"How did you know I had a date?"

"I remember how nervous I was on my first date. Granted that was more worry about what dad and mom might do to the poor guy. Is it that girl dressed all in black?"

"Yeah, I'm taking her to a gothic circus, but I don't know what to wear or what I should take." He collapsed on his bed. "I just don't want to mess this up."

"Just be yourself." Jazz walked over the pile of discarded clothes and started to dig through it. "I went through a brief Goth phase of my own."

"Really?"

"Only for a few months." She pulled out a pair of black jeans and matching black tee shirt. "This should be fine for where you're going." She grabbed his suit jacket from the closet. "Just put this on when you get there. Not perfect, but it should do." She placed the items on the bed next to Danny. "As for a gift, just take a single red rose. Tell her that among the dozens you saw, only this one was worthy of your beauty."

"That was beautiful. Where did you hear it?"

"It's one of dad's corny lines, but most girls will appreciate the effort." She gently kissed him on the forehead. "Good luck little brother."

"I'm lucky to have you as a sister."

"And don't you forget it."

* * *

Danny waited until he had walked to the street outside the Sam's neighborhood before calling a cab. The driver drove him up the street and to the gate that led to her house's driveway. Danny leaned out of the window and pressed the intercom button. The same old man from yesterday answered.

"Manson's residence, how may I help you?"

"I'm here to pick up Sam."

"Oh yes, Mister Fenton from her class." The gate swung open. "Please proceed to the front door. You may leave your vehicle here; the master has decided to have our driver take you to where you wish to go."

"Ok!" The cab took him to the door and Danny paid him. He stood on the front step as the cab drove off; staring at the sheer size of the house he was standing in front of. He was thinking he was seriously out of his league. He thought about running, but the door opened and an old man in a butler's suit stepped out.

"Mister Fenton!" He motioned him in. "The Master and Mistress are waiting for you in the main room."

"Thanks." Danny quickly walked into the house and marveled at the old and expensive things all over the place. He walked in the direction that the butler pointed. He entered a large room with antiques all over the place, save for the biggest television he had ever seen dominating the far wall. A man and woman sat on a fancy looking sofa. The man wore a silk robe and smoked from a wooden pipe. The woman was wearing a sparkling green gown and a large diamond necklace. Before he could speak, the man pointed to a matching chair across from them. Danny sat down and did his best not to look nervous.

Sam's parents let a few quiet and tense minutes pass before the father spoke. "You clean up decently enough."

"Ah, thanks."

The mother managed a smile. "I hope having our driver drive you two isn't too much of a problem. We just don't just society or you with our daughter. We figure this is just a phase that she will eventually grow out of. So please, don't get too invested in this."

"Ok!"

"MOM!"

Danny turned towards Sam's voice and nearly fell out of the chair. She was dressed in a pink dress that gently brushed the floor as she walked. A long sleeved fur jacket and a small jeweled headband completed the outfit. Danny made a few sounds as he tried to unswallow his tongue. Sam walked past him and gently patted his arm.

"Don't pick on the poor boy. He is a really sweet guy and he is trying."

"But dear, we only want you to select a proper match."

Sam sighed. "It is just one date. One dinner, one dance, I am not walking down the aisle with him." She grabbed his arm. "Let's go!" Sam pulled Danny out of the house and into a waiting Limo. The vehicle quickly drove out of the large driveway. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright; I kind of figured your parents might not like me."

"They don't like anyone who the see as below their station." She removed her fur jacket and revealed that she was wearing a black tank top underneath it. What he had thought was a dress, was simply a skirt, held together with Velcro. She pulled it apart; she had worn slightly torn black jeans and her favorite boots underneath. "Much better." She turned to Danny and smirked. "You didn't think I would go to a circus in that getup did you?"

"No, but what about the driver?"

Sam leaned over tapped on the glass. The limo stopped and the glass slid down. An old woman with silver hair waved at them from the driver's seat. "Say hello to my grandmother. If you need and alibi, call her."

"Just here to make sure my stuff shirt daughter doesn't ruin Sam's first big date. I'll drop you two off and pick you up around nine."

Danny laughed. "You have the coolest grandmother."

Sam's grandma laughed. "Like this boy already. Let's hit The Nasty Burger first. You should see their faces when I pull this baby through the drive thru."

* * *

The circus was in full swing by the time Sam and Danny were dropped off. The tents were being bathed in black lights which gave them an eerie glow. Other search lights outfitted with red bulbs slowly circled the area. A number of carnival booths with games had been set up around the perimeter of the main tent. The teens moved through the booths, stopping only when a particular game looked interesting. Danny wasn't sure if the prizes were meant to look terrible by design or they were just that cheap. Sam won a mangy looking teddy bear and Danny won a sore shoulder. As they left the carnival booths, they walked past a line of platform with various sideshow attractions. There was a muscle man, but his skin looked stretched and a few parts where muscle was exposed. Danny nearly threw up as they moved as the muscle man flexed. Sam pulled him along and they stopped in front of a fat bearded lady. Outside of the beard, there was nothing overtly creepy about her.

Danny shrugged. "She seems kind of out of place." The lady leaned towards him and a second, razor tooth mouth opened inside the beard. It snarled as it snapped at him. Danny jumped to the other side of Sam and held her arm.

Sam laughed as they walked along. "You do know your half ghost right? This shouldn't creep you out."

"Tell that to my human half."

The rest of their time outside the main tent went quietly as they looked at freakier and freakier things. A gong went off that signaled the start of the main event. The pair followed the crowd of Goths into the tent. The inside looked worse than the outside. It looked rundown with cracks in the wood and what looked to be rotten ropes and frayed cables holding everything up. They sat on what appeared to be mold covered benches, but were surprised that it was actually foam that was comfortable.

Sam settled in and chuckled. "This is nice. I got to get some of this for my room." Danny just laughed and sat down next to her. Sam gave him a quick hug. "Thanks for bringing me. It is nice to get away from all the ghosts and doom about the future."

"I'm glad a circus all about gore and decay is taking your mind off things."

The lights went low and a spot light shone on the middle of the ring. Unlike the ones outside, this one was actually clear. A hand burst from the ground and Danny heard a mix of gasps and applause as a thin, pale man pulled himself out of the ground. He was dressed in a beat up circus master outfit. Dirt, worms, and bugs fell from him as he started to move towards the audience. He stopped and reached back into the hole. He pulled out a large top hat and cane with a glowing red orb on the end of it.

"Almost forgot my hat." He placed it on his head and red liquid gushed from it. He took off the hat and reached into it. He pulled out the head of some animal that Danny didn't recognize. "Wondering where I left that." He casually tossed the head back into the hole. The crowd clapped as he took a bow. "Welcome to Circus Gothika! Where all you nightmares can come true. I am you host, Freakshow. So sit back and prepare to for the darkest, vilest show you will ever see. Well will twist you mind and your sanity to the breaking point, or die trying." He chuckled and smiled, showing crooked, yellow teeth "Or you will."


	42. Circus Act

**Author's Note:** I can't believe I got that name wrong. Fixed it. Need to research more.

* * *

The show that followed Freakshow's introduction was just like any other circus, just with overtones of death and despair. The lions looked like zombies with rotted fur and their skeletons exposed. The knife thrower wielded rusted knives and the clowns looked like rejects from a horror movie. Danny didn't get it, but Sam and the rest of the crowd seemed to really enjoy the show. Halfway through the performance, the light was once again on Freakshow.

"I hope you all have been absolutely horrified by the performances. Now a new act that you will be the first to witness. A trapeze act with a twist. No net.." Large metal spikes burst out of the ground, underneath the trapeze wires. "..just razor sharp spikes."

Lights illuminated the top of the tent. The trapeze wires looked frayed and rusted. A woman with red hair stood on the platform on the far left. She wore a black funeral dress that had been cut short to allow better movement. Danny and Sam recognized the woman instantly. It was Penelope the self-styled queen of vampires.

Danny nearly transformed. "What is she doing here?"

"And why is she part of the show?"

The far right lit up and Danny nearly fell over. It was Plasmus in a matching tux. "Something very strange is going on."

Sam grabbed his arm. "Let's wait until the show is over. Then we can figure out what is going on."

The teens watched as two of their enemies performed the trapeze act. The act ended with the wires snapping and the two falling onto the spikes. The spikes were oversized and no one could see where they had fallen. Fake blood splattered around the center of the spikes. Freakshow simply said, "Oops," and continued the show.

* * *

Unable to concentrate on the rest of the show, Danny and Sam ducked out to look around the circus without the crowd of people. Their search came up with nothing, until they heard the crowd applause and began to leave the giant tent. Sam spotted Freakshow sneaking off to a smaller tent on the edge of the circus ground. The followed him as he walked in. Danny transformed and took Sam's hand. He phased them through the tent wall and hid behind a stack of crates. The tent was full of crates of various sizes. He walked over and lifted the lid off of one. It was full of jewelry. Danny nearly said something, but Sam quickly covered his mouth to keep him quiet. A pair of green ghosts flew into the tent. Each had an armful of jewelry and cash. They dropped it into the open crate and floated towards the edge of the tent.

Freakshow laughed as he ran his fingers through the loot. "This town is just full of valuable things." He tapped his staff on the ground and Plasmus and Penelope walked in. "And a good variety of ghosts to add to my collections. I thought I had seen every type available, but you two are unlike any ghost I have encountered." He tapped his staff again and the muscle man appeared behind Danny and Sam. He grabbed each on by an arm and flung them into the center of the tent. "And now we have intruders. I am so glad I came to this town."

"You're not going to get away with this!" Danny started to charge Freakshow, but stopped as he pointed the red orb of his staff him. Danny's eyes turned red and stood, frozen.

"Danny?" Sam tugged on his arm. "What did you do to him?"

"For years my family has controlled ghost to entertain the masses. I have found a more lucrative use for them. Thanks to my undead friends, I will soon be the richest man alive." He laughed as more of his ghost performers appeared in the tent. "This city is just over running with ghost and thus, a perfect cover for my activities." He waved a hand at Plasmus and Penelope. "And add a few more recruits to my beck and call."

"But Penelope isn't even a ghost."

"Oh yes she is my dear." He walked over to Penelope and kissed her cheek. "A fine ghost with some unique abilities, she can actually drain the life energies from other ghosts and bind their wills to her own." He patted her head. "But she fell to my power just like all the others." He turned to Sam. "And now you have brought me another ghost."

"Let Danny go!"

"Oh I am afraid I cannot do that. You have seen my operation and thus, I cannot let either tell the authorities."

"My parents will come looking for me." Sam didn't mention Danny's parents, hoping to keep his human half a secret from Freakshow.

"Oh I have a solution for that little problem." He shoved the red orb of his staff into Danny's face. Energy from the staff flowed into Danny's ears and mouth. "Now my pawn, you will overshadow this girl and have her leap to her doom."

Danny gave Freakshow a puzzled look and shrugged.

"Don't you know how to overshadow a human?"

Danny shook his head.

"You really are a ghost child." He pointed to the muscle man ghost. "Demonstrate, slave."

The ghost went transparent and flew into Sam's body. Sam's eyes sparkled green as she lost control of her body. The ghost had her flex her arms and strike a pose.

"Understand?" More energy flowed from the staff into Danny. Danny nodded. "Good! That is enough." The ghost left Sam's body.

"What happened?"

"Nothing you need worry about. Now, slave!" Danny went transparent and overshadowed Sam. He gave Freakshow thumbs up. "Very well done, you will prove useful in the coming years. Now take that girl to the tallest building in town and leap to her doom." Danny nodded and walked out of the tent.

* * *

Danny quickly figured out he could still use his other ghost powers while overshadowing Sam. He took flight and headed for Master Tower. It was Vlad Master's new corporate headquarters. It was still under construction, but fifty of its one hundred floors were up and it stood above most of the other buildings in the city. Sam felt trapped in her own mind as she was helpless to break free of Danny's control. She glanced up and spotted the bracelet Clockwork had given her on her wrist. It was keeping her from using any of the abilities she had gained to help.

"_Danny, fight his control!_" Her mental plea went unanswered as she landed on the top of unfinished floor. She stood on the edge and looked down at the street so far below. It would be a wonderful view, if she wasn't about to jump over the edge. "_Danny!"_

Sam leapt off the edge as Danny left her body. He watched as she plummeted towards the street. Something about her scream broke Freakshow's control. "SAM!" Danny shot towards her as fast as he could go. He reached her and managed to phase them both before they hit. Danny held her in his arms as he flew through the ground and finally back into the night sky. "I am so sorry."

Sam had to take a few deep breaths to calm down before answering. "Not your fault." She looked down at the city below them. "At least I can enjoy the view now. So you back to normal?"

"As normal as I can get. I can't believe I let that nut job control me." He flew over Sam's neighborhood and landed on the front lawn of Sam's house. "You stay here. I'm going to clean that guys clock."

"You can't leave me here."

"I won't put you in danger again. Hopefully, he will think I am still under his control and I can get close enough to break that staff of his."

"But what if he takes control of your mind again?"

"And that is why you should stay here. Just tell your grandma the show was terrible and you took a cab home. If I don't come back, tell Jack." Danny shot into the air and flew back towards the circus.


	43. Attack of the Circus

Freakshow clapped his hands as Danny landed in front of him. They were outside near a large old style train that was being loaded up by the other ghosts. His staff was leaning against the side of one of the cars. "Did the girl scream as she fell to her doom?"

"Until she hit the pavement bellow." Danny tried to sound as monotone as possible.

"Very good minion, very good. We are almost all packed up and ready to move onto another city. Soon we will be able to take our act global." He walked over to a large chest being carried by Plasmus. With a flick of his wrist, the chest opened. It was full of gold and jewelry that had been stolen from various jewelry stores around the city. "So many pretties."

With Freakshow full engrossed with pawing his stolen treasures, Danny slowly inched his way towards the staff. As he was about to grab it, the staff flashed red and flew into Freakshow's outstretched hand. "You have a much more resilient mind than I originally thought." Danny started to summon energy for his ghost beams, but the light from the staff quickly overwhelmed him. "I take it the girl isn't really a splat on the street."

Danny tried to fight it, but his mouth moved on its own. "I took her home."

"And where is that. I'll send some other ghosts to take care of her."

As Danny started to talk, an explosion issued from the tents that were still standing. A silver robot dropped from the sky crashed into the ground several feet away. It carried a large shield on his left arm and a long cannon barrel on his right. The face looked like a skull with a long green glowing Mohawk on his head. Freakshow scratched his head looking at the robot. "What are you?"

"Skulker, Ghost Zone's greatest hunter."

"Ah another ghosts to add to my collection." He held his staff up and bathed Skulker in its light. Skulker simply smiled and crossed his arms. Freakshow began to worry and looked at his staff. "Why isn't it working?"

"I can answer that question." Another ghost phased out of the ground and stood next to Skulker. He was wearing a large set of goggles on his face. "I Technus, the master off all that is electronic and beeping has found a way to negate your mind control."

"How? This staff has been effective for centuries."

"That fancy little staff only projects its mind control through the red spectrum of light." An eyeball the size of a baseball appeared in-between Skulker and Technus. "This eyeball is one of many we use to spy on this world. This one is unique because it is color blind. So it was a simple matter to construct a defense."

Freakshow slowly backed away. "This is not happening. Why are you tormenting me?"

Red appeared next to Plasmus who was still holding the chest full of stolen jewelry. He was also wearing a pair of Technus's goggles. "Our master was content to let you run around with your petty thievery, but you crossed a line." He leaned close to Plasmus's ear. "Remember who you are!"

Plasmus blinked and dropped the chest. "What happened?"

Red slipped a pair of goggles over Plasmus's eyes. "I'm afraid you fell under control of that lunatic. We almost lost Eyevar, but luckily one of his eyes was immune to the light from the staff. Technus whipped up these goggles and I told you the command phrase for the hypnotic breaker you had me implant in your mind."

"Very good, I picked my command staff well." Plasmus's form shimmered and his clothing returned to its normal style. "Now to deal with that sniveling idiot."

"No, this can't be happening." He willed the staff to glow more brightly, but none of the ghosts before him seemed effected. Freakshow stepped behind the still hypnotized Danny. "I still have my other minions."

He pulled out a small whistle made out of bone from around his neck. He gave it a quick blow and dozens of ghosts flew out of the train cars. Several smaller ghosts flew inside of two large crates. The crates burst open and the zombie lions charged Plasmus and his ghosts.

Skulker laughed and took aim with his arm cannon. "Old possessed lion bones, really." He fired twice. Large bolts of concentrated energy blasted the lions apart. "Is that the best you can come with?" A woman ghost dressed as a demonic jester flew out of the train car. She was juggling three transparent balls filled with green liquid. She tossed them at Skulker. The ghost hunter shielded himself with his shield. The balls burst open on impact and the green liquid began to eat through the shield. "Highly corrosive acid!" He chuckled as the shield detached from his arm. "Now I am slightly interested."

More ghosts charged from the train, while Freakshow and Danny ran for the engine. Spectra tackled Technus and gripped his face with her hands. Energy flowed from Technus and Spectra's eyes glowed as she absorbed his energy. Plasmus cursed and snapped his fingers. She let go of Technus and looked around. "Where is that pasty faced little man?"

"I will deal with the human, finish these lesser annoyances." Plasmus flew after the fleeing pair. As he was about to reach them, a large half rotted gorilla, busted out of one of the train cars and tackled into Plasmus. It tried to crush him as they crashed into the ground. "Of all the..." Plasmus was quickly overcome by the stench of rotted gorilla.

Freakshow scrambled onto the old train engine and pulled the break leaver. "Go and release the caboose, Minion! I have another surprise for those meddling ghosts."

Danny flew to the end of the train as Freakshow shoveled in coal. A quick ghost beam shattered the connector and the train slowly began to move. Danny landed next to Freakshow as the train picked up speed.

"Enough!" Plasmus burst with purple light and shattered the old gorilla frame. The ghosts controlling it quickly flew away from the angry Plasmus. He watched the train moving away and noticed the green caboose was being left behind. "What game is that sideshow hack up to? Technus!"

Technus ducked a ghost acrobat armed with a knife. "I'm a little busy, sir."

"Check that caboose for a trap, Now!"

Technus summoned the wires from some light fixtures that had been left behind and had them bind the acrobat ghost. "Yes my lord." Technus flew over to it in time for it to explode. A giant ten foot green bear ghost smacked Technus down with one of its large paws. The ghost of technology groaned. "It is a bear."

"I see that you idiot. Eyevar!" The colorblind eye of Eyevar stopped firing ghost beams and flew to his master. "Bring me The Banshee Blade, I'm through playing." Plasmus took to the air as energy sparked around him. "Come on you pathetic beast!"

The bear roared and charged at him. Plasmus's ghost jumped clear as Freakshow's ghosts got trampled. Plasmus summoned energy to his hands and blasted the bear in the face. It stumbled and crashed into the ground as Plasmus flew over it. "And will the rest of you please deal with this!" He shot after the train.

Skulker laughed and pulled a length of green glowing cable from his belt. "I'll be the first hunter to have a wall to wall bear skin rug."

* * *

Freakshow grumbled as the train moved along. He had lost almost everything. He patted Danny on the head. "At least I have most of the loot and a young new star for my act. The others can be replaced in time."

Danny started to nod, but he stopped when he heard a voice in the distance. He looked around as he tried to find the source of the voice. The voice suddenly turned into a loud yell. "DANNY!" Sam's voice ripped through his head and shattered Freakshow's control. Danny rubbed his eyes as he tried to get his bearings. Freakshow didn't seem to notice as he was watching the shrinking form of Amity Park. Danny turned transparent and dove into his body.

"Get out!" Freakshow tried to fight Danny's control.

"You know, I should really thank you for showing me this little trick." Freakshow gripped the staff and the light from the orb bathed him. Danny shut Freakshow's eyes and tried to smash it against the floor of the train.

"You will not defeat me, minion. I will burn the free will out of your puny mind when I regain full control."

Neither of them noticed Plasmus flying overhead. Plasmus stopped when a trio of flying eyes flew to him. The Banshee Blade floated in-between the eyes. "Your sword my lord."

"Perfect!" He gripped the sword's handle. "Now get clear. I can't risk you falling under that lunatic's control."

"At once my lord."

Plasmus flew past the train and spotted his target, a large bridge that went across a relatively deep gorge. With a single swing of the sword, a sound wave ripped through the metal girders and supports. It didn't collapse, but it was beginning to buckle. He chuckled and watched as the train rolled onto it. The bridge shook and began to fall apart.

On board the train, Freakshow panicked as Danny left his body. Danny sighed and grabbed the back of his jacket. He flew clear as the train and the staff crashed into the gorge. The explosion of the engine was followed by a flash of strange red light.

"My staff!" Freakshow started to cry.

Plasmus sighed and flew down next to Danny. "You should have left him on the train."

"And that is why I am not you."

Plasmus laughed. "In time my dear boy. In time."

* * *

Back at the circus site, Freakshow's ghosts stopped fighting and started to cheer. "We're free!" They slowly began to vanish back into The Ghost Zone. Skulker was on top of the ghost bear, holding onto a cable he had managed to lodge into its mouth. His glowing wrist blade was up and ready to strike when the bear suddenly stopped fighting and vanished into several puffs of smoke. Skulker cursed and crashed into the ground. The sounds of police sirens caused Plasmus's forces to leave the area almost as quickly as Freakshow's. Danny flew over and dropped Freakshow next to the chest of stolen items as the cops pulled up. The police officers jumped out of the cars and aimed their guns at both of them.

"Both of you freeze!"

Freakshow waved his hands wildly. "It wasn't me, it was him." He pointed at Danny as rapidly as he could.

"Don't move Invso Bill."

Danny pointed at the insignia on his chest. "Does this look like it stands for Invso Bill?" He sighed and shot into the air before they could fire.

"See it was him." Freakshow was smiling before a set of handcuffs were slapped on his wrist.

"There has been a report of a dozen robberies along the route your circus has taken. You're wanted for questioning."

"Darn it!"

* * *

Danny flew over Sam's house and phased into Sam's bedroom. The girl was seemed to be sleeping on her bed. Her mind blocking bracelet sat next to her arm on the bed. Danny smiled and picked up the bracelet. "Must have worn yourself out sending me that warning." He touched her arm to put it back on. His vision was suddenly filled with an image of a raging inferno. Flames covered almost every inch of his vision. He started to cough as smoke and heat began to fill his lungs He was aware of the bracelet still in his hand and fumbled to place it back on Sam's wrist. The vision vanished and he backed away. Sam's eyes opened and she sat up. Danny took a few deep breaths. "What was that?"

Sam just hugged herself. "I don't know?"


	44. Betrayed

It had happened so fast, Amber was still trying to sort it all out as she lay on the floor of the stage. She had snuck into Auditorium in order to skip gym class. Before she had gotten past the backdrop on the stage, an explosion ripped through the building. It had blasted her off of her feet and she hit the back of her head hard when she fell. Smoke clouded her vision as she felt her surroundings began to heat up. Remembering all the safety videos she had been forced to watch as a kid, she stayed low and started to crawl. Unfortuity, her vision was blurred and she fell into the orchestra pit. Luckily, it was empty at the time. Fire began to form at the edge of her blurred vision and she could swear the fire was blue instead of red. The smoke began to turn green and she couldn't help but to cough uncontrollably.

'_Focus Amber!'_ A voice echoed in her head. It was hers, but different somehow. _'We still have so much to do.'_

"What?" Amber pulled herself out of the pit, but was knocked down when a wall of blue fire erupted near her. "Who are you?"

'_You will know when the time is right. Don't worry; soon the whole world will know our names.'_ The voice faded as a male voice shouted over the roar of the fire. Her throat was dry and raw from the heat and smoke and she couldn't speak. "Zack! Here!" Somehow, the other voice spoke through her.

Zack charged through the blue fire and crashed onto the floor next to her. His left arm was engulfed in blue fire. He yelled out as pushed himself to his feet. He grabbed Amber's left arm and pulled her to her feet. He half carried/half dragged Amber out of the auditorium. Amber blacked out as they entered the hallway.

* * *

Amber woke up and found herself at her desk in her room. A quick glance at the clock on the night table showed it was a little after two in the morning. A large pile sheet music was laying in scattered piles on the desk and floor. She picked up the only neat pile and glanced over it. She couldn't remember writing it. She started to stand, but a blue hand clamped over her face and pushed her back into the chair. The hand belonged to a blue ghost in a red business suit. His had glowed and Amber closed her eyes.

"My apologies Ms. McLain, but my lord has plans for you to follow." Red smiled as he began to manipulate her memories. "Plus I have an experiment that you are perfect for."

* * *

Danny held his head and his hands as he sat at the lunch table with Tucker. He had been in this pose throughout the morning. That and the fact Sam wasn't sitting with them told Tucker that the date didn't go well. Tucker waited a few minutes before trying to talk to his friend. "So was there at least a highlight to the evening?"

"It is a tossup between almost killing her by having her jump from the top of a building and her suffering from horrific visions about my possibly doomed future."

"So I take it you didn't get a goodnight kiss."

Danny glared at Tucker for a moment and returned to covering his eyes. "Part of me just wishes for this to just end."

"How about you and I go out and do something? We can catch a movie or how about the bowling alley?"

Danny shook his head. "I'm not in the mood, but thanks." He sighed. "Maybe I should take Clockwork up on his offer. Things might be safer for everyone if I stayed in The Ghost Zone."

"That's not true. Look at all the ghosts you captured and the lives you have saved. That crazy box ghost that tried to crush us or that pint sized pirate that tried to kidnap the parents."

"Not exactly my finest moments."

"Not exactly your worst. I've seen you shoved into lockers, caught in the girl's locker room, and sent to the nurse's office more times than I can count. And you always bounced back."

"You are comparing Dash and the football team to Plasmus and the other evil ghosts I have encountered." Tucker shrugged and nodded. Danny chuckled. "Not hard to argue, thanks."

"Well, I can't fight, so I guess I will help keep your spirit up."

"We could send you through the portal and try to give you powers."

Tucker held his hands up. "Oh please no. With my luck I'll turn into some slimy goo creature. I'll stick with moral support and tech support." He looked around. "What about Sam?"

"I'll talk to her after class."

* * *

Sam left school quickly with Amber and her band. Curious, Danny followed while invisible. They piled into Zack's garage and Danny could hear them begin to practice. He landed and was surprised to see Sam playing the base guitar, or at least trying based on the sounds coming from it. The injured Zack was sitting next to her giving her pointers, while Amber yelled at the others over their music. Danny found a bush large enough to hide behind and return to his human form. He walked into the garage as the music suddenly stopped and Amber turned and complained about the tempo. Sam smiled when she saw Danny.

"Danny!" She jumped up from her stool. "What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping to talk to you about last night."

Sam gestured toward Amber. "Now isn't a good time. Amber needed a replacement bass player, so I guess I am nominated."

"I didn't know you played."

"Neither did I, but I seem to have a knack for it."

"Excuse me!" Amber pushed in-between Sam and Danny. "We need to focus on the tournament. We have less than a week. You two can talk after."

Sam started to argue, but nodded in agreement. "Amber is right; we will have plenty of time after the tournament. Plus, I need some time to think things through."

Danny was a little dumbfounded, but had nothing to say about it. "Right, sorry I interrupted." Danny left the garage and the band started to practice again.

* * *

The days past swiftly and soon the day of the audition had arrived. The individual members were making their own way to the local collage where it was to take place. Amber preferred a little alone time before a performance and had went to a local bookstore to have some tea to help get her mind on the music. She had about an hour when she decided to head to the collage. She hadn't gotten far before she heard a strange sound in the air. It sounded like a jet engine. A metallic arm slammed into her and she was lifted off the sidewalk. The arm belonged to a silver robot with a skull-like face.

"Remember me?"

Amber shook her head. "Let me go you metal freak!"

"I think not. I have waited long enough." They phased through an office building and Skulker dropped the girl on a large table in a conference room. The computer on his wrist beeped telling him that the security cameras in the building had been disabled. "You will be mine, human." Two large green glowing wrist blades slid out of his arm. "You may not remember me now, but you will soon enough."

A glowing purple ring appeared around her head and flew down her body. He clothing had changed to a black tank top with black leather pants and boots. Her skin was tinted blue and her hair became blue fire. She jumped to her feet and faced Skulker. She smirked. "I don't know what you're talking about." A red glowing guitar appeared in her hands. "But you're begging for a lot of pain."

"No girl can harm Ghost Zone's greatest hunter. You will save us both a lot of trouble if you just submit."

"Sorry! Ember McLain doesn't submit to anyone." She strummed the strings on her guitar hard and a red shockwave issued from the instrument. The windows shattered and Skulker was knocked off of his feet. He crashed through a wall and impacted a group of office cubicles. People screamed and yelled as they ran from him.

Skulker stood up and brushed himself off. No real damage had been done, but the power of that shockwave had surprised him. "This should be fun."

* * *

Amber's band sat nervously backstage as the time for their performance was slowly approaching. Several attempts to call Amber had resulted in little more than voice mail. Danny and Tucker had tagged along to give Sam some support on her debut. The three band members sat together arguing on what to do as Sam sat to the side, trying to seem more interested in the stings of her bass. Danny walked over to her and spoke low enough so the others couldn't hear.

"You sense anything?"

"No, I've tried, but I can't seem to focus enough." She rubbed her eyes. "I'm having trouble thinking about anything else other than this performance."

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, just having tunnel vision right now." She turned to the band members. "What are we going to do?"

Derrick shrugged. "She could simply be running late. I highly doubt she got cold feet."

Rachel's grip tightened on her drum sticks. "What if something happened to her? She did vanish for a while and we still don't know why." She tossed her sticks down. "And I can't believe we haven't given that a second thought."

Both turned to Zack who simply sighed. "These past couple of months has been insane. Ghosts invading the city, the bomb at the school, and the general chaos that those events have caused." He rubbed his bandaged arm as he spoke. "I am worried about Amber, but I also know she would kill us if we miss this chance."

Sam stood up. "But she was the singer and lead guitarist."

"I can play the guitar." Derrick raised his hand. "To be honest, I only learned the keyboard so not to make waves with Amber. She's is better, but I'm no slouch." He motioned to Zack. "He can sing."

Zack gave him a puzzled look. "We were just having fun. We don't even have a song I could sing."

Rachel looked at the sheet music. "We would just have to lower the key this is in." She grabbed a pencil and made a few changes. "We would only have to change octave we played in. It could work."

Derrick walked to his keyboard. "I'll imput the modified part and have the keyboard play it back as we go on. We just need someone to pretend to be playing and turn it off when we stop." He pointed to Tucker. "You're nominated."

"Me?"

"I trust you will hit the right buttons and at least look halfway professional, or I will shove you PDA so far down your throat, you will have to go to the bathroom to check your e-mail."

Tucker chuckled. "I would be honored to help you out."

Zack stood up. "Seems everyone is voting to go forward with this. Derrick, go get the spare guitar from the car. Amber will cripple you if you play hers. And get me a few bungee cords too. Rachel, help Sam learn the new fingerings."

"What about you?"

Zack turned to Sam. "I'm going to make myself more presentable." He left, in search of a bathroom.

Sam sighed. "I guess we're going through with this." She sat down and looked up at Danny. "Could you go look for Amber?"

"Sure!"

* * *

Ember ducked as the rockets Skulker fired exploded above her. Her attacks weren't powerful enough to truly damage his armor, but she managed to keep him back for the past ten minutes. She started to mentally curse herself for not studying the music she stole from the Ghost Piper more closely. If she managed to get away from this metal nutcase, she would make sure to memorize every controlling verse. Ember phased through to the floor below. It was a large open area filled with desks and computers. Everyone had already cleared out due to the fight on the upper floor.

Despite his ability to pass through solid objects, Skulker opted to blast a large hole in the floor and drop down. He fired several micro missiles at the ghost girl. Ember fired a shockwave from her guitar and the missiles exploded. She was knocked across the room and crashed into a desk. Skulker laughed as he approached the downed Ember. "It was a fun hunt, but now your mine."

He was knocked off of his feet by a green beam of energy. Danny Phantom landed in front of the downed Skulker. "Any reason your terrorizing an office building?"

"This is none of your business, whelp. I was simply hunting down my woman."

Danny looked around. "Well it looks like your imaginary girlfriend ditched you."

"What?" Skulker charged past Danny and scanned the area with his sensors. Ember was nowhere to be found. "How is this possible, she couldn't have escaped so quickly?"

"As amusing as this is, I really don't have the time to see you fall apart."

Skulker growled and turned to face Danny. "I will carve you to pieces."

The two moved to fight, but a large green beam fired in between them. Jack and Maddie Fenton ran in, each held large silver cannons in their hands. Jack took aim at Danny. "Your two are done terrorizing this town. Prepare to face concentrated plasma justice!"

Skulker chuckled and his shoulder cannons hummed to life. "What could your pathetic little toys do to me?"

Maddie fired her cannon and the blast dissipated in front of the hunter. Before Skulker could mock her, a green orb exploded to life where the blast had vanished. Skulker yelled as he was sucked into the orb. The orb vanished when Skulker had completely vanished into it. Maddie smiled and aimed her weapon at Danny. "Now I will send you back to the foul dimension you slithered out of."

"Now that was just hurtful." Danny phased through the floor before she could fire.

Jack fired several times into the floor and blasted a hole big enough to jump through. Maddie stopped him before he could jump. "Honey, the last time you tried that, you broke your leg."

"Sorry, got caught up in the moment."

Maddie gave him a quick kiss. "It's alright; at least we managed to successfully test the Portable Fenton Portal. Plus that is one less ghost the city has to worry about. We'll catch that ghost kid soon enough."

* * *

Ember landed on a wooden floor hard. It was dark and all she could hear was rock music in the background. "What happened?"

A blue ghost in a red business suit appeared a few feet away. "Please forgive Skulker, he needs a few lessons in manners."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Red, I help ghosts who have lost their way."

"I know my way."

"Really? Your human half might be interested in what is over that balcony ledge."

Curious, Ember walked to the balcony rail and transformed back to Amber. The girl rubbed her eyes as she tried to remember what happened and why she was there. She looked down and nearly fell over the rail. Her band was on stage, playing the song she had written. It had been altered so Zack could sing it properly. He didn't look like his injuries were affecting him at all. Sam and the rest of the band were playing almost flawlessly.

"You have been betrayed." Red stepped up next to her. "Your boyfriend was faking the severity of his injuries. Your band mates simply stole your songs for their own. Even your best friend was sneaking behind your back with Zack."

"This can't be true. Sam wouldn't do that, she likes that Fenton loser." She held her head as she felt a sudden pain. "Zack has always been there for me, ever since that night. The band was like my family."

"Your family has abandoned you. You were used to get them to this point. They will go on and leave you alone, in the darkness."

"Shut up!" Tears were beginning to form.

"Do you doubt your own eyes? Everyone has lied to you, everyone has used you, and everyone will abandon you."

Amber transformed into Ember. "I will make them pay." She phased through the balcony floor.

Red smiled. "Things are developing faster than I suspected. The master will be pleased."

* * *

**Author's note:** Sorry about the wait. The holidays were a little hectic this year.


	45. Mental Game

Two simple words made all the pain and rushed planning worth it. "You're in!" As soon as the man with the clipboard said them, a great weight was lifted off the band's collective shoulders. They headed backstage where Sam quickly caught Zack as he fell down. The base player had used bungee cords to help him stay standing straight.

"You realize how stupid that stunt was?"

"Only way to stay standing through the song."

"We did it?" Derrick was smiling for the first time that Sam could remember.

Rachael pushed him. "Now let's go find…" She stopped when she spotted her walking in. "Amber?"

Amber was in her band attire with her guitar strapped to her back. She had a strange look on her face that caused everyone else to freeze. "Did the audition go well?" Her voice was shallow.

Everyone remained silent, even Tucker. Sam gulped slightly. "Yeah, you guys are in."

"Really?" Amber eyes narrowed at her. "I see you and my bass player have gotten close."

"Amber…"

"Shut up Zack. I now see what has been going on this past year. You all have just been using me. You stole my song."

"That isn't fair." Rachael was confused. "You weren't here. We had to do something or we would lose our spot. We can perform together during the actual tournament."

Derrick stepped up, next to Rachael. "Where were you anyway?"

Amber rubbed her eyes. "I don't remember."

Zack walked to Amber. "Are you alright?"

"You betrayed me. I gave you everything I had and you cheat on me."

"What?" Zack started to reach out to her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't touch me!" Amber's eyes seemed to gleam and a look of realization appeared on Zack's face.

"I know you."

Amber smiled and her eyes shinned with blue light. A ring appeared around her waist. It exploded with blue light and blasted Zack to the floor. Amber had transformed into the ghost Ember. She glared at Sam and swung her guitar around so she held it. "Now for you!" She played a cord and a red fist of energy erupted from her guitar. Before it could hit, Danny Phantom appeared in front of her and formed a ghost shield. The fist impacted the shield and burst into nothingness.

Danny dropped the shield and his hands began to glow. "If you want to play, the stage is over there."

"Another boy who Sam has seduced into doing what she wants. I'll be back for an encore." She played a few cords and a burst of bright light blinded everyone in the room. Ember was gone by the time everyone's vision cleared.

Danny ran to the spot where she had been standing. "Who or what was that?"

"I think Amber has been possessed by a ghost." Sam helped pull Zack to his feet. "I didn't understand what she was accusing us of." She turned to Zack. "But you seem to do."

Zack sat down. "Amber made me promise not to talk about that night ever. But given what has happened. I'll tell you Sam, but not the others. I think Amber would prefer it that way."

Taking the hint, Rachael and Derrick left to pack the instruments. Danny simply turned invisible. Sam sat down next to Zack. "So what happened?"

"It is complicated. It was just after her mother died and her dad was kind of lost in his depression. She started hanging out with this loser biker named John something. Anyway, Rachael called me one night, Amber had vanished from her house and her dad was looking for her. So I went out to look for Amber."

* * *

**Flashback**

It started to rain as Zack spotted the motorcycle he had been looking for. It was beaten up and had the number 13 scratched into the side of the gas tank. It was leaning against the entrance to the park. Zack sighed and stepped out and opened his umbrella. It was dark, raining, and the park was huge. This was going take a while. Deciding to start at the fountain at the center of the park, he headed there. As he approached the fountain, he spotted Amber. She was standing over the downed form of John, hitting him with what looked like a large tree branch.

"Amber!" Zack ran to her and tried to grab the branch.

She spun around and wacked the branch against the side of Zack's head. Her eyes were filled with rage as she held the branch ready to swing again.

"Amber?"

A look of confusion came over her face and she dropped the branch. Her eyes soften and tears began to form. She fell against Zack's shoulder and just began to cry. Unsure of what to do, Zack simply held her as she cried.

**Flashback End**

* * *

Zack rolled his shoulders as he finished. "That ghost had the exact same look that she had that night."

"What happened to set her off that night?"

"Amber had bottled up everything that was bothering her up until that point. John tried to get her to shoot up with some drug I can't remember. She wouldn't, he kept pushing, and something in her just snapped."

Sam shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "Why didn't she tell me?"

"She had a moment of weakness. Not something she wants anyone to see. She moved in with me a few days later. Just wanted to get away from everything that reminded her of that night I guess. It was nice; you'd be amazed how crazy living alone can drive you."

"So nothing happened between you two?"

"I have no idea where that came from. I've been playing the part of the older brother ever since she moved in. Do you think she'll be alright?"

"Yeah, we just have to find her."

Danny and Sam headed for the warehouse to get some advice from Jack Sparrow. They found the pirate captain playing a video game in the corner of the warehouse. He glanced up and quickly waved. "One moment, mates." His face turned serious as he tapped the buttons feverously. "Damn the name who created this device." He shot out of chair and shot the game console with his pirate pistol. "That is how you dealt with demons in my day." He turned towards the teen and smiled. "How can I help you?"

"Amber is half ghost who is being possessed by what appears to be a split personality." Sam glanced at Danny. "Kind of like Danny was."

"Well, that is interesting." Jack shut the TV off and walked over to the fridge. "I remember you telling me that she was in the school when the ecto bomb went off. No doubt she was bathed in the ghostly energy that was released." He pulled out three sodas. "It was less concentrated than the surge Danny was exposed to, so it took longer to take full effect."

Danny accepted the soda. "Does this mean all half ghosts are going to have split personality issues?"

"Ghostly energy is living energy, Danny." Jack handed Sam her soda and walked towards a bookshelf. "It is the very essence of a ghost. Now everyone has two sides to their personality. A little voice deep down that represent things the way we would really like to act. Danny's for example wanted to pummel Dash and his friends for every act of humiliation they inflicted on him."

"Can't argue with that."

"Your friend Amber's little voice no doubt to hold during the stressful time when she lost her mother." Jack started looking through the books. "Once the infusion of ghostly energy happened, that voice became sentient." He pulled out a well-worn book. "Unfortunately, in the entire history of ghosts, there haven't been any half ghosts until now. I've seen some people comeback as ghosts, and they were different." Jack shivered a bit. "Very different." He put the book back. "I really can't say for certain. My best guess that both of you have a human half and a ghost half. Right now, Danny, you're in control of your ghost half, Amber is not."

Sam shook her head. "Does that mean there is nothing we can do?"

"Of course there is something we can do, love. If you can bring her here, I can put this Ember in a psychic cell like I have done with Dan. Clockwork wanted me to show you some of the mental techniques I have learned over the centuries, so we can use this as just a simple demonstration."

Sam smiled. "Find another loophole in you noninterference rules."

"Rules were meant to be bent."

Danny raised his hand. "What about her reaction to Sam? Zack said that the things she was referencing never happened."

"Thank Red for that. I suspect he has played with her memories, but it is odd he would be this complex."

"Why?"

"The mind doesn't take altering very well. Any lie, no matter how well-crafted will eventually be broken down by the mind. Now if he was carful and only changed little things over the course of many memories, then it would be much harder for the mind to detect the change. Plus if the person prefers the lie over the truth, the mind might never figure out it was changed."

"Amber had a moment were Zack saved her; Red must have built on that. But why was Ember affected?"

"Couldn't say." Jack scratched his chin. "None of this makes much sense. Why would Red craft a relationship between two people who had none? It is puzzling."

Danny crushed his empty soda can. "We'll just have to ask."

* * *

Plasmus stood at the top of his uncompleted, Masters Tower. As soon as it was completed, it would a monument to his greatness and where he planned to have his throne when his rise to power was complete. Red appeared behind him and bowed. Plasmus waited a few minutes to admire the view before acknowledging his advisor. "How goes things?"

"All is going according to plan, my lord. The girl will act as you wish."

"And her memories?"

"Hard to say, I will need to do more experiments to see how permanent I can make the change. But with the right memory foundation, I believe I can make it last."

"And you will have that foundation. Tomorrow you will have everything you need to make Daniel my apprentice and heir to my throne."

"My lord, about what you plan."

"Enough! My plans will go forward as I have said. All things have fallen into place. I have the sword and with Danny will come the ring. The power of the ghost king will be mine."

Red sighed. "Yes my lord."


	46. Trial by Fire

After hours of discussion, it was decided that finding Amber and helping her was the first thing they should do. Sam figured if she and the band went ahead and played in the music tournament that would definitely lure Amber to them. Danny was going to borrow an experimental ghost net that his parents were working on. The plan was simple, capture her and bring her to Jack so he could contain Ember and hopefully, get some information on where she had been taken by Red. Sam talked to the band and they were onboard if it meant helping Amber. The night before the tournament, Sam's dreams were filled with images of fire. She hoped it wasn't a glimpse of what was to come.

* * *

The group arrived at the old theater that had been converted to a music hall a few hours before the first act. Tucker and Danny disguised the Fenton Ecto Net Launcher as a lighting fixture and installed it over the stage. They aimed it at the spot where the lead singer normally would stand. The band was nervous, both from the competition and what might happen when if Ember showed up. Rachel and Derrick kept themselves busy checking and rechecking the instruments. Zack was making the final arrangements and Sam just tried to keep herself together. The visions last night had been the strongest yet and she was finding it hard to handle it.

"You alright?"

Sam looked as Danny sat down next to her. "All set?"

"As set as a barrowed prototype that my dad invented can get. I wish we could just use the Fenton Thermos."

"Jack said that he wasn't sure if it was safe to catch a half ghost in that thing." Sam sighed. "I just hope this works."

"Yeah." Danny checked his watch. "Show starts in about two hours. Nothing left to do but hope things go well."

* * *

Zack found a storage room to try and steady his nerves. This was supposed to be the bands big break. But all anyone could think about was Amber and what could happen if she showed up. A voice from behind him jarred him from his thoughts. He turned and saw Amber standing in the doorway. She seemed herself at first glance.

"Nervous?" Her voice was almost caring.

"Big night. We have been worried about you."

"Who? The band, the losers hanging around, maybe just you." Her eyes narrowed. "I don't blame you for cheating on me. Sam tricked me into believing she was my friend."

Zack took a careful step towards her. "Sam is your friend. And we were never together in any form. You told me yourself that you didn't want any relationship with anyone." Amber rubbed her forehead as her head began to ache. Zack took another step. "That ghost who has taken you over is making you think these things. Sam and her friends want to get you some help."

A ring formed around Amber and she transformed into Ember. "Sorry, not buying it." Her guitar appeared in her hands. She played a loud cord and a blast of red energy slammed Zack across the room. He crashed into a fair wall and fell to the floor, out cold. Ember knelt down next to Zack. "I'll let you miss out on what I have in store for those who betrayed me. But we will discuss things later."

* * *

Danny and Sam watched the stagehands finished setting up the last of the equipment. Time was ticking by slowly and it wasn't helping their nerves. A blue vapor issued from Danny's mouth. "That must be her." Danny and Sam looked around, but all was normal.

Sam headed for backstage. "You keep looking here."

Before Danny could respond, he was ripped off of his feet and went flying towards the wall. He was turned intangible and was pulled through it. While in intangible, Danny saw the source of his unscheduled flight. "Skulker!" The metal clad ghost had tackled into him and was pulling him outside. He transformed before they reached the street outside.

"Your pelt is mine, whelp!" Skulker tossed him into the pavement and both solidified. Several blades extended from his wrists. "Hold still and I might make this painless."

"Sorry, but I am kind of busy today. Can we reschedule?"

"Certainty, I will skin you after lunch instead of before." Skulker charged at him.

"Thanks!"

Danny dropped low as Skulker flew over him. His hands sparked with green light and rammed his hands into Skulker's chest. The light burst and blasted Skulker up. Danny took flight and followed the ghost hunter into the air. His hands glowed with energy as he pummeled Skulker's face repeatedly. Skulker ducked the last punch and lashed out with his wrist blades. Danny went intangible and the blades went through him. Skulker chuckled as energy sparked from the blades and gave the half ghost a good shock as it passed through. Danny fell back and recovered in time for Skulker to ram his boot into his face. He fell, but managed to slow his decent before he hit the street.

"This is starting to get old." Danny fired several energy beams.

A shield formed around Skulker and the beams fizzled as they hit it. "But I am having so much fun. My newest upgrades are so much fun to use against you." His chest split into four different panels and a large cannon barrel slid out of his chest. It glowed with red light. "Like this one!" A concentrated red beam fired from his chest.

Danny jumped clear as the beam tore into the street. When the beam stopped, it left a large hole in the street and in the sewer bellow. "Isn't that overkill for hunting? You hit me with that and there won't be a pelt for you to claim."

"I enjoy the art of hunting more than the trophy collecting." The cannon started to charge. "Plus shooting this thing is just too much fun." He fired again.

* * *

Inside the music hall, Sam spotted Ember on the stage. She was standing on the spot where the net launcher was aimed. "Tucker!"

The teen had been playing with the keyboard in the back. He ran out onto the stage, tripped over a mic cord, and fell off the stage. Ember for the most part, ignored him and began to play her guitar. A wave of unease washed over Sam as the tune filled the hall. Tucker stood up, his eyes were glowing blue and he had a zombified look on his face.

"Tucker?" Sam grabbed his shoulders and shook him. He made no response.

"Don't bother Sammy. He and everyone else here is under my power." Ember sped up her playing. "Everyone out!" All the people, save for Sam, started heading for the door as quickly as they could. "I'll deal with the ex-members of my band later. But you will get my full attention right now."

Sam watched the others walking out and contemplated running for it. She gathered her courage and walked onto the stage. Behind her back was the remote to the net launcher. She had grabbed it before Tucker had begun to leave. "You need to stop this Ember. A ghost named Red has manipulated your memories and making you think you have been betrayed."

"I know!"

"What?"

"Red's abilities are impressive, but he didn't count on my ability to hide from his mental probes."

"So why are you doing all this?"

"Amber's anger and despair fuels me. My power has nearly tripled in strength since Red's little modifications. Plus, since she knows I will take revenge on you guys for her, she hasn't tried to fight my control of this body."

"That is terrible. I thought you were trying to protect her."

"Oh I am protecting her. This world is a very unforgiving place for a girl. I will use my music to bend all the people to my will. Then when the world is under my control, she will be safe to live her dream."

"That is really twisted." Sam pressed the button on the launcher. Nothing happened. Sam pressed it several more times before giving up on hiding it and looked at it. She popped the battery case and found a small note. "Honey, I borrowed the batteries for the TV remote." Sam sighed and tossed the remote away. "Of all the stupid things not to check."

"Did you big plan to capture me fail?" Ember raised her hand to play another tune. "Don't worry about it; you won't be around much longer to care about it." She started to play when the ceiling collapsed.

* * *

Skulker landed and dropped to a knee to lower his profile. Danny was firing a highly concentrated beam with both hands and his shield was buckling under the stress. The shield collapsed and the beam blasted him into an alley. Danny fell to the ground, breathing heavily. That beam had taken a lot out of him. Before he could pursue, an explosion behind him knocked him off of his feet. He rolled to his feet and saw the music hall covered in flames. People had already fled the building and looked around franticly. He spotted Tucker and rushed to him.

"What happened?"

Tucker rubbed his head. "I don't know. I just suddenly wanted to leave." He looked around. "I think Sam is still in there."

"Sam!" Danny shot towards the burning building as fast as he could. Before he could reach it, a blue vortex surrounded him and he was pulled into a silver thermos held by his father.

"Got you, you filthy ghost."

* * *

Across the street, Plasmus and Red watched the events unfold bellow. Plasmus smiled as Skulker joined them. "All going according to plan?"

Skulker bowed. "Yes my lord. I rigged the bombs so that the girls will be trapped on the stage, surrounded by flames. They will be safe for a few minutes."

"Excellent! You will retrieve the girl shortly and bring her to me. Danny will believe that the girl he loves has died and that his oafish father was the one that prevented him from saving her. At the height of his despair, I will appear with the girl, safe and sound."

Red chuckled. "That memory will serve as a perfect base for the transfer of his parental affections from Jack to you."

"It took a lot to set this up, but soon I will have my apprentice and son. And together, we will crush his father and then conquer all of The Ghost Zone."

* * *

Fire trucks quickly pulled in and the firefighters moved fast to begin to combat the blaze. The Fentons moved away from the area and returned to their vehicle. Tucker tried to follow them, but he pushed back with the rest of the people. Jack set the thermos down on the oversized bumper of the Fenton RV.

"I wonder why this ghost started that fire."

Maddie shrugged. "Who can tell with ghosts? We are just lucky that we received that tip to come down here." She watched the firefighters start to spray water on the fire. "I wonder if we could invent some sort of foam to help put out fire."

Jack chuckled. "Not a bad idea. After we finished banishing ghosts from this city, we should work on that." Jack heard a muffled yell and turned towards the thermos. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes."

A tiny voice issued from the thermos. "Please, let me out!"

Jack picked up the thermos and shook it. "Quiet down in there. Need to make this thing soundproof."

"I didn't cause the fire. I need to get back in there."

"You can't fool me ghost. The only place your going in The Fenton Gene splicer."

"Please, the girl I love is going to die in there if I don't save her."

Jack thought for a moment and hit the release button. Danny shot out of the thermos and paused. Jack sighed and pointed towards the burning music hall. "Go!"

"Thank you!" Danny flew into the hall.

Maddie hugged her husband. "Why did you do it?"

"He sounded so sincere. I just couldn't say no."

"I love you dear."

* * *

Plasmus nearly fell over as he saw Jack release Danny and the teen fly into the building. "That idiot let him go. Skulker, quickly!"

Skulker shot into the air and flew towards the music hall as fast as he could. He was blasted out of the sky by the cannons atop the Fenton RV. Both Fentons moved quickly to capture the downed Skulker.

"Idiots! I am surrounded by useless idiots." He started to take flight, but Red tackled him down.

"No my lord, you would never survive the fire."

"My apprentice!"

"Is lost! You are too close to your goal to throw it all away."

Plasmus was forced to agree and could only watch as the building began to crumble.

* * *

Danny crashed into the floor as the smoke began to overwhelm him. He remembered Jack's warning about how fire burned ghosts just as easily as humans. The fires had spread to just about every surface.

"Sam!"

He strained to hear, but all he could make out was crackling flames. He tried to open his mind and hopefully, Sam would sense him. He felt a slight tug towards the stage and started to build up energy in his hands. He aimed slightly to the left of the tug and fired a pair of large beams. The beams demolished the pile of rubble and extinguished the surrounding fire. He nearly fell down as he started to return to his human form. He clenched his teeth and willed his ghost form to hold. He ran onto the stage and found Sam and Amber lying on the floor. The ceiling had collapsed in a way to prevent the fire from reaching them quickly.

"Sam?" Danny rushed to her and tried to help her up. He glanced back as the fire started to close the opening he had blasted. "Now what?" He coughed and nearly fell over.

"Hey!" A ghost dressed in jeans and a leather coat pulled him to his feet. "I can't carry all of you!" The ghost had short red flaming hair and Danny noticed the left arm of the coat was heavily burned.

"Did you do this?"

"Can we discuss this outside?"

He let go of Danny and bent down to pick up Amber. "Stay close!" Danny scooped Sam up and the two took off in a run. As they reached the wall of fire, it seemed to part to allow them to pass. The pair reached the backdoor behind the stage and kicked it open. Danny and the ghost ran down the alley behind music hall and stopped when they reached a parking lot across from the burning building. They set the girls on a large grassy planter at the edge of the parking lot. Both of them were coughing, but alive.

"Go find a paramedic!"

Not thinking about it, Danny flew towards the fire trucks. The paramedics didn't pause when he yelled for help. They simply followed him to where the girls had been left. The fire headed ghost had vanished. Danny stayed with Sam until police and his parents came over. He quickly took to the air and found a building to land on before his ghost form gave out.

As Sam was being helped into an ambulance, a reporter pushed her way to her and asked one question. "What is it like to date a ghost?"


	47. Cooler Heads

"This is Marty McFly standing outside the now destroyed Amity Park Music Hall. Set ablaze yesterday by wanted ghost criminal, Invso Bill." The screen shifted to show security video of Danny and the other ghost leaving through the back of the building. "Here he is seen trying to kidnap a couple of local teenagers with his accomplice, Flame Head. Later reports reveal that one of the girls.." An image of Sam appeared next to the reporter. "A Sam Manson is actually involved in romantic relationship with Invso Bill. When questioned, she dined to answer any questions and the girl's parents are convinced that she is somehow tricked by the ghost. Chief Ghost Investigator and Eliminator, Jack Fenton swore he would get to the bottom of this. He is quoted, "Who would ever love a filthy ghost", this is Marty McFly, Amity Park Action News Team."

Jack Sparrow sat next to Danny as they watched the news report. "They say that any publicity is good publicity."

"It nice to see that you find this all funny."

"Didn't say that, Mate. No one was hurt, that is the important part."

"But why are they blaming me for what happened. And I don't even know who that other ghost is."

"At least they gave him a lamer name than yours."

"That makes me feel so much better." Danny sighed and hid his face in his hands. "Now Sam is in the hospital and I am a wanted criminal. How can this get any worse?"

"Never ask that, you'd be amazed how often life will go out of its way to answer that question." He patted Danny's back and stood up. "Come on! Sam managed to arrange it so she and Amber share the same room. We can visit and see about keeping Ember contained."

"Right!"

Jack froze time to hide the portal that he and Danny took to get to the hospital. Danny still was unnerved at the sight of people and things just frozen in place. Jack looked around and spotted his query. It was a supply closet, where he could find the things he needed for a suitable disguise. "Wait here for a moment!" He quickly picked the lock and disappeared inside. He emerged a few minutes later, clad in a doctor's coat and a surgical mask over his mouth and nose. "How do I look?"

"Like a doctor from the Jamaican islands."

Jack reached back and touched one of his dreadlocks. "Almost forgot those!" He tied them back as well as he could and slipped a surgical cap over his head. "Better!"

Danny shrugged. "I guess."

"Good!" Jack led Danny through the hospital until they reached the hall near Sam's room. Jack pulled out his pocket watch and pressed a button on it twice. Time resumed instantly and the two had to quickly step back to avoid an orderly crashing a supply cart into them. "Follow my lead." The two walked down the hall, but froze before they reached the room door. Jack Fenton was standing next to the door with an ecto rifle in his hands. "Maybe I should switch time off again." Before he could even touch his watch, Jack Fenton spotted them.

"Danny!" He waved his son over. "What are you doing here?"

"Just came to check in on my friends. What are you doing here?"

"The Mansons hired me to stand guard while your mother makes their home completely impregnable to ghosts." Jack smiled. "And to think they called me a crockpot nutcase when we first met at your school." Jack laughed. "Who is the crockpot now?"

"Right, can we go in?"

"We?"

Jack Sparrow stepped up and extended a gloved hand. "Doctor Turner, came to see how the patients are doing."

Jack Fenton shook his head, but stopped suddenly and his eyes narrowed. "You look oddly familiar. I've seen you somewhere before."

"Of course you have. My picture is on display downstairs. I am the doctor of the month, didn't lose a single patient the whole month."

"Really, that must be it then." Jack Fenton let go of his head and stepped aside. "Try not to be too long. Both have been possessed by ghosts and that can take a toll on the mind."

"Keep up the good work." Jack Sparrow walked in.

Danny stopped short and looked up at his dad. "I heard you let the ghost that supposedly started the fire go. I was wondering why?"

Jack knelt down next to his son. "He told me that the girl he loved was trapped in the building. If there was a chance that he could save someone, despite the reason, I felt it was worth the risk." Danny was at a loss for words. His dad had never spoken this deeply before. Jack stood up. "Now I am sure it is all one sided and he started the fire for the sole reason so he could save her, so I will not rest until the menace is captured and sent on a one way ticket back to the Ghost Zone, or rip him apart in the particle accelerator. I will probably flip a coin when the time comes."

"That sounds good." Danny walked into the room and shut the door. "My dad just impressed me and scared the daylights out of me in less than a minute."

Jack Sparrow shrugged. "That is parents for you. When we have time, I 'll tell you some stories about my family."

Sam was reading a book in her bed, while Amber seemed to be asleep in the bed next to hers. She looked up and managed a small smile. "Glad you managed to get by the bouncer."

"Yeah, sorry about that, I hope he hasn't been too much of an embarrassment."

"No the ghost sensor he almost shoved up the lunch lady's nose was funny to watch. Granted not as much as when he tripped and knocked over a cart of urine samples."

Danny just sighed. "That's my dad. Um, about what you may have heard yesterday."

"About how the public enemy ghost number one declared his love for me, an innocent high school girl, who no doubt has been hypnotized or otherwise controlled by the evil ghost to return his obviously one sided feelings."

"Wow, that was oddly specific and kind of a put down."

"It is what the reporters put in the newspaper after my parents and yours swore that there was no way I could love a ghost. Amazing it took this for them to get along."

Danny walked to her bed. "I am really sorry for all of this, when I thought you might.."

Sam stopped him from speaking by putting her finger on his lips. "It was very sweet Danny and I am sure this will all blow over soon enough. Plus, now me dating you will seem like a relief to my parents."

"We are dating?"

"Focus Danny!" Sam looked past him to Jack who had taken the time to put his probe Amber's mind. "Can you contain Ember?"

Jack snapped out of his trance and placed his mind link gem back into his pocket. "Yes, if she was in there."

Danny gave Jack a puzzled look. "What do you mean, if?"

"Somehow, Ember has left Amber's mind. I couldn't find a trace of her anywhere."

Sam looked at Danny and then to Jack. "Where did she go?"

Before Jack could try to come up with a reason, a man burst into the room. He was in his forties and looked like he hadn't slept in days. Danny's father had been shoved aside. Danny and Jack Sparrow started to approach him, but Sam told them to back off. "That is Amber's dad."

The man nodded and approached the sleeping teen. "I hadn't received a call from either her or Zack for a few days. Then I heard about the music hall fire."

Danny scratched his head. "Why did you let Amber live somewhere else?"

Amber's dad sighed heavily. "She and her mother were very close. I spent most of my free time with her brother, Rick. When my wife died, I took to the bottle to deal with my depression. I guess I didn't give her the attention she needed. Before I knew it, she told me she was moving out." He chuckled. "My fifteen year old daughter told me she was moving out."

"Why did you let her? You're her father."

"I was afraid to chase her off. I was worried she would runaway someplace dangerous. I wasn't crazy about her moving in with Zack. Heck, the thought of two teens living alone was a sobering thought. But he and the rest of that band of hers watch out for her. Amber has dinner with me once a week and a weekly inspection of the place. I trust her to make the right decisions." He glanced at his sleeping daughter. "Things were improving. Last time we ate, we even talked about her returning home." The man started to cry and Amber woke up.

"Dad?" To the surprise of everyone, Amber wrapped her arms around her father. Father and daughter hugged as the others left the room to give them some privacy.

Once again, Red stood alone next to the seething Vlad Plasmus. The other ghosts hid themselves at the far corners of the base, in hopes Red could convince their master not to start obliterating them. Skulker had been saved from The Fenton Gene Splicer by Technus who managed to disable all the sensors in the Fenton's building long enough to sneak him out and replace him with a low level ghost who wouldn't be missed. The events from yesterday couldn't have gone anymore wrong. Weeks of planning had literally gone up in smoke. Danny's bond with his father was stronger than ever.

"Why not just pick a different apprentice? While the boy has potential, there are other candidates. The boy we caught earlier, his power over fire is…"

"Enough!" Plasmus yell seemed to cause the room to shake. "Daniel is the only one worthy of being my successor." Plasmus stood up from his throne. "His power is much like my own. He can wield ghostly energy in its purist form. His growth potential isn't trapped by standard evolution standards of ghosts. Both Ember and this new half breed can grow more powerful, but the nature of their power will never change. Technus power will be limited by the technology he can control, Eyevar abilities are impressive, but not all of his eyes share the same abilities. Even your power will not change greatly. But Daniel's power can evolve in ways that even I cannot predict."

"Or is it the fact he is the son of the woman that you lost to that oaf Jack Fenton. An attempt to steal from him what you feel is yours."

Plasmus's hand swung about and smacked Red off of the throne's altar. He jumped down and landed next to the downed Red. Plasmus grabbed the collar of Red's suit with one hand while the other glowed with purple light. "I should finish you for speaking to me like that."

"I am your advisor and you brought me here to tell you the things you needed to hear." Red's voice was still calm despite the crackle of deadly energy sparking from Plasmus's fist. "You are on the threshold of your ultimate victory. Your legacy will surpass all those who came before you. I can't let you throw it all way because of your obsession."

Plasmus took a few deep breaths and let go of Red. He stood up and sighed, "You are right. A soon to be god must be above petty problems." He floated back up to his throne and sat down.

Red slowly rose to his feet. "The boy I caught from the hall? And the girl?"

"He is unworthy of being my apprentice. But I could use another knight for my court. As for the girl, leave her alone for right now. It would be best to wait until things calm down."

"Your will be done, my master."


	48. Your Wish

Amber and Sam were released the next day, but stayed home from school for a few days. After Danny's parents swore to the local news that Sam was no longer being controlled by the ghost boy, she was allowed to return to school. Danny didn't manage to see Sam until lunchtime the day she returned to school.

Amber looked depressed as Sam talked to her. For all of Jack Sparrow abilities he had gathered over his long life, he couldn't undo the damage Red had done to her mind. Danny couldn't help but to blame himself for everything that had happened to that point. Every day he wondered if he should have accepted Clockwork's offer to train him in The Ghost Zone, away from the people he cared about. At the same time, he had no idea if he was the reason the ghosts had invaded Amity Park. None of them save for a select few seemed to know he was existed. He resolved to find Plasmus somehow and make him answer the questions he had.

Sam waved him over when she spotted him. "Long time no see. Where is Tucker? You two usually eat lunch together."

Danny walked over and set his tray down. "He hacked the school website and put his picture on the front page with the title "King of Casper High". Lancer is making him take it down."

"At least he is keeping himself occupied."

Danny motioned to Amber, who had her head in her hands and mumbling about something. "She ok?"

"Confused! Everything kind of fell apart for her rather quickly. She doesn't remember what Ember did while she was in control. Derrick and Rachael have opted to keep their distance from her for now, can't really blame them for being freaked. Zack going missing hit her especially hard."

"But those feelings for him aren't real."

As Danny finished his sentence, Amber quickly sprung to life and grabbed the collar of his shirt. "Those so called fake feelings are a lot more real to me than anything else I have experienced. I don't care how or why these memories came to my mind. I have been kidnapped, had my mind played with, and was a little more than a host to a crazed ghost. Zack made me happy, made me feel safe, and was always there for me. Fake or not, no one will take these from me." Amber released Danny and stormed off.

* * *

On the other side of school, Dash and the rest of the football team were picking on someone new. With the ghosts attacks and the appointment of The Fentons to head up the effort to stop them, Dash had decided to give Danny a little slack. It was a small lost since he now found someone who he figured was a bigger nerd than Danny. His name was Sidney Poindexter and had been a student of Casper High for three years. Despite being a senior, he was still short for his age, and his thick rimmed glasses, pocket protector, and pale skin, made him a target. The popular kids had all but forgotten about him, but with the arrival of Dash and his friends renewed the interest in bullying Sidney.

After enduring the basic round of wedges and wet wiles, Dash ended the fun with the classic swirly. Thankfully the quarterback had the heart to flush the toilet before shoving Sidney's head into it and giving him three rounds. Not that it helped much. Soaking wet and humiliated, Sidney opted to skip the rest of his classes and head home. He wasn't worried; he had done all the homework for all his classes for the next three weeks. Arriving home, he climbed up to the attic to be alone and to avoid his parents seeing him home early from school.

"Why do they have to be so mean to me?" Sidney shivered as he paced the length of the small attic. "Guess I should have tried harder to dry off."

He opened up some boxes in an effort to find an old blanket. Instead he came across and old long necked bottle wrapped in cloth. He removed the cloth and slowly examined the bottle. It was made of blue crystal with gold inlay around it. Gems of various colors and sizes were imbedded into the glass. Sidney glanced at the box and saw it had originally belonged to an uncle who had died a few years ago. Some of his old stuff had found its way into the attic. He laughed as he gave it a quick rub with his palm. He stopped laughing when the stopper popped off and green smoke issued from the bottle.

"What the?"

He dropped the bottle as the smoke began to take a humanlike form. From the waist down, the thing from the bottle was a cloud of smoke issuing from the top of the bottle. From the waist up, it was the form of a beautiful woman with green skin. She was dressed in blue silk and had golden beads woven in her long raven colored hair.

She bowed slightly. "What is thy wish my master?"

Sidney looked around to make sure there wasn't anyone else in the attic. "You mean me?"

"I am bound to the will of the one who holds the bottle." She picked up her bottle and gently placed it into Sidney's hands. "My name is Desiree and my only desire is to serve you."

"I get three wishes like that kid in that movie."

Desiree chuckled and floated around the teen. The green smoke filled the attic save for a small clear space where she and Sidney was. "I can grant you as many wishes as your heart desires. The only limit is how powerful I am at the time of the wish."

Sidney gulped. "How powerful?"

"The more wishes I grant, the more powerful I become. So I suggest you start off small and soon, I will be able to give you anything you want."

Sidney smiled. "Oh I know a few small things I would like."

* * *

The next day, Danny and Tucker walked to school as they usually did. The only disruption to their normal routine was a large golden limo speeding by and stopping in front of the school.

"Mr. Masters coming to visit?"

Danny shook his head. "That isn't his; at least I don't think it is." Both boys ran up and joined a small group of students that was slowly growing around the limo.

The door opened and outstepped Sidney Poindexter. He was dressed in expensive looking clothing and had a small green duffle bag hanging from one shoulder. His glasses were gold trimmed and the lenses darkened as the sun hit them. He simply smiled and walked into the school, leaving the group to circulate rumors. For their parts, both Danny and Tucker quietly followed him. They stopped as he turned a corner and heard Dash and six of his friends stopping Sidney.

Dash's eyeballed and considered Sidney's new look while his friends formed a circle around him. "Not bad, but if you think that a new outfit is going to save you, then think again. You just proved to us that you have far more lunch money than we thought."

Sidney managed a small smirk and reached into his duffle bag. "Don't worry, I have already brought what you deserve." Under his breath, he whispered a few words that none of them could here. From his hiding place, a blue puff of steam issued from Danny's mouth. Several green ghosts sprang up from the floor, one each for Dash and his friends. The ghosts grabbed the back of their underwear and pulled on them so hard, they were taken off of their feet. They cried out in pain and were dropped to the floor. The ghosts laughed and began to tear through the halls, knocking down students and flinging green slime as they went.

Tucker ducked a slime ball. "Where did these guys come from?"

"Don't know." Danny ducked behind Tucker and started to phase through the wall. "But I better stop them before they do too much damage. Going Ghost!"

He vanished into the wall and flew out of the floor as Danny Phantom. He quickly stopped by his locker and retrieved his Fenton Thermos. The seven ghosts didn't seem to notice him as they continued to terrorize the students and teachers. One flew by Danny and he fired a ghost beam at it. The beam hit the ghost and it burst apart in a shower of slime. Another ghost shot by and he fired another beam. The ghost burst apart like the first one.

"Either I am much stronger than I thought, or these ghosts aren't very stable." Returning the thermos to his locker, he flew through the halls and quickly eliminated the remaining ghosts. Other than the slime, there hadn't been that much damage. A few students yelled thank you as he phased through the ceiling to find a place to return to his human form.

Sidney had watched the whole thing from a corner and wasn't too happy with what happened. "Now did he have to go and do that?"

A small bit of green smoke issued from the duffle bag and wrapped around his neck. "Don't fret, Master! The ones who tormented you the most were still punished." Desiree's voice came from the smoke.

"But I want the whole school to suffer as I have suffered."

"And they will, my power has grown with just your first few wishes. Soon, I will be able to conjure up even more of your desires."

"Yes, but we might have to deal with Inviso-bill first."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the wait. Had a bad case of writer's block, Watched the first season of the show and it helped to clear it up. Sometimes you just need to immerse yourself in the DP universe. Thanks again for reading.


	49. Watch what you wish for

Thanks to another wish granted by Desiree, the school was magically cleaned before the police arrived to investigate the disturbance created by the ghosts she had summoned earlier. Sidney had a plan for the pep rally later that afternoon and needed to make sure it wasn't canceled. Dash and his friends were too embarrassed to talk about what happened and everyone else didn't have enough information to fully explain what had happened. The incident was written off as a student prank and the day proceeded as if it didn't happen.

The last period of the day was devoted to cramming the students into the gym to yell and cheer at the cheerleaders and the football team. Sidney hatted these rallies. Like the sports teams didn't have big enough egos to begin with. He managed to slip away from his group and found a hiding place under the bleachers to watch. Dash and the rest of the team seemed to have gotten over their wedges, but Sidney chuckled as he watched them move cautiously to the center of the gym. He held Desiree's bottle tightly as he gently rubbed it.

* * *

Danny hatted pep rallies. It was the only event that made him want to be back in class, taking a test. Tucker was on the other side of the room and Sam was several levels below him. So he was stuck suffering the glorification of Dash, wedged between two guys he didn't know. He tried not to gag; one of them had obviously been skipping his nightly showers. He hadn't even had time to think about the ghost attack earlier that morning. As he pondered a way to get out of his situation a puff of blue steam issued from his mouth.

"Perfect!"

As the cheerleaders stood up to try and get the students revved up, a green semi-transparent blob flew around them and their uniforms disappeared. They all screamed and ran for the exit while the student body laughed at them in their underwear. Danny wasn't sure if he should try and stop what caused it, or thank it. His question was answered as the exit doors glowed green and locked themselves tight. No one was getting out of the gym. The banners that were hanging from the ceiling turned into glowing green snakes and started to lash out at the students bellow. The blob solidified and charged towards the football team. Danny suddenly found himself free as students and teachers rushed towards the doors to try and force themselves out. He tried to spot Sam or Tucker, but they were loss in the crowd. Danny wiggled in-between the bleachers, as he fell, he transformed and flew into the gym.

Unluckily for Danny, Sidney had seen the whole transformation from his hiding spot. "What was that?"

Desiree appeared from her smoke form. "He appears to be half ghost!"

"Danny Fenton is a halfa!" Sidney scratched his head as he tried to think of what to do next.

* * *

Danny Phantom shot for the ceiling. The banner snakes stopped attacking the students bellow and started to focus on him. They didn't have teeth, so they tried to coil around him. As several wrapped around him, Danny felt they were still made out of fabric. He charged his fists and they pulsed with energy. The energy ripped the fabric apart and the snakes return to normal as the tattered banners fell to the floor.

"Well that was easy." His next target was the blob that was dissolving the uniforms of the football team. "Oh please no!" He flew through the blob and pushed the guys out of the blob. Thankfully, their clothes held up better than the cheerleader uniforms. Danny looked at his own jump suit, it was slowly dissolving. Danny quickly flew out of the blob and it gave chase. "I guess I taste better than Dash." He clasped his hands together and fired a concentrated ghost beam. As the beam hit, the blob exploded, showering the gym with green, clothing dissolving slime. "Woops."

Danny flew high and charged towards one of the exit doors at full speed. He sheathed his body in ghostly energy and rammed the door opened. People ran out of the gym as he repeated the move on three others. The gym was emptying out and he spotted Tucker standing on the lower bleachers. Danny landed next to him as the last of the students and teachers had left. His friend had managed to avoid getting hit by the slime.

Danny looked around. "Where is Sam?"

"She wasn't so lucky." Tucker tried hard not to laugh. "She headed for her locker to get the gym clothes she never wears. Any idea what caused all this?"

"I did!" Sidney stormed towards them, clutching and ornate bottle in his hand. "Why did you interfere? You get bullied by those guys just as much as I do. They needed to be humiliated as badly as they humiliated us."

No point in keeping his secret Danny just shook his head. "I understand why you did this, but we need to be better than them. This saying is over used but, "_With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility."_ Danny chuckled, "But I can't say I didn't like what you did to the cheerleaders. Even thou it was wrong and you shouldn't have done it. How did you do all this anyway?"

Sidney smirked. "I wished for it to happen. And by the time I am done, I will make everyone who picked on me pay."

"You realize that I will have to stop you." As Danny spoke, Tucker quickly took several steps back.

"Oh I can solve that problem. I wish you were no longer a half ghost."

A green smoke flowed from the bottle and formed into a beautiful green skinned woman. Her voiced seemed to resonate as she weaved her fingers about. "So you have wished it, so shall it be." Strands of purple and green energy flowed from her fingers and surrounded Danny. He dropped to his knees as he felt something inside of him being ripped out of him. He cried out as a large bolt of green light was pulled from his body and it exploded and blinded everyone in the gym. The light formed into a body. When everyone could see, Danny Phantom was standing next to Danny Fenton.

Phantom smiled as he flexed his fingers. "I got the good body!" His voice was lower than normal.

Fenton's eyes widened. "Dan!"

"That's Dan Phantom." He turned towards Sidney. "Now to deal with you!"

Sidney looked at Desiree. "What happened?"

"His ghost half has its own personality."

"Then I wish.." Sidney's wish was cut off by a small blob of ecto slime sealing his mouth shut.

Dan tossed another slime ball and knocked the bottle from his grasp. Danny watched in amazement as Dan created the slime out of his own energy. "How did you do that?"

"You think I have just been humming to myself while locked in your head. We can manipulate ghostly energy at its most basic level. This is just the start of what we can do." He chuckled. "Or should I say what I can do."

Desiree for her part simply floated out of the way and watched as events unfolded. Sidney tried to grab the bottle, but Dan shot past him and scooped it up. "A real life genie in a bottle." He turned towards Desiree. "Who is your master?"

She gently bowed. "Whoever holds the bottle, my master!"

"Has a nice ring to it."

"Prepare for ectoplasmic death you vile undead abominations." Jack Fenton charged into the gym and fired several rounds from his Fenton Ghost Rifle. All the shots flew wide and only added scorch marks to the already destroyed gym. Both Danny and Dan could only sigh and shake their heads. Jack leveled his rifle at Dan. "Stay away from my son, Invso-Bill!"

"Who gave me that stupid name? I wish I could just slap everyone who calls me that." A small green and blue portal appeared in front of him. Dan stuck his hand in and it appeared behind Jack's head. He gave Jack's head a hard smack. Jack spun around and fired his rifle several times. Dan laughed, "This is going to be fun." He turned his head towards Danny. "I will leave you to enjoy a normal life. Leave the rest to me." Desiree returned to her bottle and Dan phased out of the gym.

* * *

Sam pulled her gym shirt on and sighed with relief that she had decided to simply store the clothes in her locker rather than throw them away. Most of the other students were fighting over the towels in the shower rooms and clothes from the school store. She closed her locker and nearly screamed at the sight of someone standing behind it. She managed a small laugh when she recognized who it was.

"Danny!" Danny Phantom stood before her with a smile on his face and an ornate bottle in his left hand. "Where did you get that thing?"

He glanced down to the bottle in his hand. "It was the source of that thing in the gym. I wanted to check in on you before I took it to Captain Jack." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about making it rain down on you."

"Don't worry, it only hit my shirt."

"Is that all?" Danny had a grin on his face.

Sam simply sighed. "Typical boy." She started to say more, but Danny stepped forward and kissed her. She was startled for a moment, but kissed him back. An image flashed in her mind and she shoved him away. "Dan!"

"Good instincts. But don't worry, Danny and me now have our own bodies. I got all the cool ghost powers and he is a regular nerdy teenager."

Sam slowly backed away. "And you think that give you the right to touch me?"

"I can't deny that you entice me. I have all the power and the skill to use it. I will stop the so called disaster that is coming and also make sure I am on top of the social pecking order in town."

"It wasn't Danny's powers that made me like him. He has a good heart and he wouldn't abuse the gifts he was given."

Dan laughed. "Or use them to the benefit of anyone." He slowly rubbed the bottle. "But I see I won't be able to convince you with talk."

Green smoke flowed from the bottle and Desiree appeared. "What is your wish, my master?"

"I wish Sam's attitude was a little more in line with my own."

"So you wished it, so shall it be." Green and purple energy flowed from her fingertips and lashed out at Sam. As the energy started to envelope Sam, her bracelet slashed with red light and Desiree was blasted back as the energy she had summoned dissipated.

Dan helped the genie up. "What happened?"

"Something blocked my spell weaving." She started to turn to smoke. "I need to rest." The smoke flowed back into the bottle and the stopper appeared on it.

"You're full of tricks! That just makes you that more interesting." Dan bowed slightly. "But that is enough for one day. See you soon." He vanished.


	50. Signs of the Future

Plasmus walked into a newly built section of Technus' lab. His advisor Red and the ghost of technology had called him down to show him an experiment that sounded promising. The large chamber was dominated by a square pool of pure ecto energy. Distilled from the very fabric of The Ghost Zone, it was the basic building blocks of all ghosts. It was currently being held in a bubbling slime like form. A wall of glass separated the pool and Technus' workstation. He was currently entering data into a computer while Red watched and provided input.

"Report!"

Red bowed slightly. "We have good news for you my lord."

Technus smiled and finished a line of code. "I have confirmed that I can create a half-ghost clone using this energy and a DNA sample."

"A blank slate that I can program with whatever memories you desire."

Plasmus turned and looked at the bubbling pool. "Really?"

"Yes my lord." Technus motioned to a large computer screen behind him. Images of Danny appeared with various lines of data scrolling across the screen. "The only thing we lack is a large enough sample and a power source strong enough to stabilize the clone. I need to borrow the power crystal that we are using for the assault train."

The crystal that Plasmus had Technus steal from Axion Labs had all but been forgotten by the ghost lord. "You believe that the crystal has the power you require?"

"We have only begun to understand the power that the crystal can generate."

Plasmus hesitated and started to walk out. Red flew past him and blocked his path. "I understand your desire to claim what is rightfully yours, but this is the better course. If this works, you will have all that you what, perfect in every way."

Plasmus thought for minute and finally nodded. "Very well. Take the crystal and report to me if this process will be successful." He shoved passed Red and left the lab.

"Red?" Technus stood up. "Even if the power of the crystal can stabilize a clone, there is no guarantee of what will come out of that pool. The DNA could mutate in unimaginable ways."

"Our lord is dangerously obsessed with that Fenton woman and the boy. He is close to consolidating his power over both this world and The Ghost Zone. We need to keep him focused. After he succeeds, he can obsess over whatever he wants."

As Plasmus walked back to his throne room, one of Eyevar eyes appeared in front of him. It was one of the smaller ones, just a bit bigger than a baseball. "What is it, Eyevar?"

"There is something strange going on in Amity Park."

* * *

Dan Phantom landed atop the unfinished Master Tower and looked over the city. Desiree floated nearby. "A powerful body, unlimited wishes, and no longer shackled to my weaker self. What is a teen to do? There is still that great disaster that has Jack all worked up. Thou I doubt he will consent to train me."

"Master! My power grows with each wish you make. With enough power, you could simply wish this disaster away."

"Well!" Dan rubbed his hands together. "So much for that worry." He walked around the unfinished floor. "So just need to keep wishing. Any suggestions?"

"I dare not tell my master what to wish for. But most of my masters did prefer to live like kings."

Dan chuckled. "Now that sounds like a plan." A small portal appeared in front of Dan. He shook his head and reached in to slap whoever called him Invso-Bill in the head. "And getting my real name to these morons wouldn't be a bad idea. My hand is starting to hurt." He flew into the air and Desiree followed. "First I will need a suitable place to live. I wish for this tower to be my own personal fortress."

"So you have wished it, so shall it be." Energy flowed from her hands and covered the building. In a flash, the building grew into a one-hundred story, solid black metal skyscraper with large version of his DP emblem on each side of it. "Does this please you?"

Dan laughed and clapped his hands. "Well done, Desiree. My very own Avengers Tower."

* * *

Sam fell down as a black stone spear tried to impale her. It was in the green skeleton with glowing red eyes. She had to roll clear as another one with a large stone axe slammed its weapon down where she had been. She pushed herself to her feet in time to see her two attackers be joined by two other skeletons. Each armed with black stone swords and shields.

"Sam! Down!" Recognizing Ember's voice, Sam dropped to a low crouch as a red shockwave of energy flew over her head and shattered the skeletons.

A red beam flew past and obliterated a small group of skeletons on horses. "Manson!" Valerie walked up to her as she continued to fire. "Are you going to use that pistol?"

Sam looked down and saw a large silver blaster in her hand. "Right!"

She stood up and started to take aim, but stopped to look at her surroundings. She and the other girls were standing on a large floating island in The Ghost Zone. It was mostly rock with a few half-dead looking trees. The normal green color of the zone had turned red and she could see huge groups of the skeletons flying towards them. She could she a few more people fighting the skeletons nearby, but she couldn't make them out, like she was looking at a blurry photograph. As if a silent horn was blown, the skeletons suddenly stopped attacking and waited where they stood. An armored individual on a large horse rode up and stopped several feet away. She couldn't make out the horse or the rider, save for the face. He wore the mask that she had seen earlier, the mask that was on the face who had impaled Danny with a sword.

"What are you?"

He turned towards Sam and reached up to remove his mask. As he pulled it off, Sam's vision filled with fire and she blacked out.

* * *

Sam sat up and fumbled for her bracelet. Her head was throbbing far worse than the first attempt she had made to see the future. She found the bracelet and quickly clipped it on. The throbbing slowed and eventually vanished. Sam pulled herself out of bed and walked to her bathroom. After finding out Dan had somehow gotten a new body and a wish granting genie, she had hoped to get some clue from her visions. That plan hadn't gone so well. Sam switched on the light and was horrified to see blood dripping from her nose and her night clothes covered in sweat.

"Guess I over did it." Sam cleaned her face and was pleased to see the bleeding had stopped. The clock on the wall told her she had five more hours before she could meet up with Danny and hopefully, figure out what was going on.

"You're pushing yourself to hard." Clockwork's voice issued from her bedroom.

She walked back to her bedroom and found the ghost of time floating over her bed. "So, do you spy on teenage girls in your spare time or am I just special?"

"Whenever you make an attempt to peer through the veil of time, it alerts me." He shifted to his child form. "I understand your desire to know what happens, but even with the abilities your ancestor gave you, you are still not ready."

"Things are getting worst. Look what happen to Danny, he lost his powers and that twisted personality of his is loose." She sighed and sat in her computer chair. "Can't you tell me anything? Isn't Danny supposed to face this disaster that is coming?"

"I have told you more than I should have." He shifted to his young adult form. "But maybe a better explanation of the time streams will help you understand." He waved his hand and a near countless number of light streams appeared. Time accounts for every possibility that can occur. There is nearly infinite number of these streams, when an important event hits, many of the streams will converge and combine at one point. But then separate shortly after the event or disappear altogether."

He shifted to his old form the streams changed. They started to merge together and a dark purple cloud appeared. Out of the countless streams, only a few dozen remained and passed into the cloud. Only one line passed out of the cloud, a thick red one.

"This cloud represents the great disaster. They will all come together at a point somewhere in this cloud and despite all the differences each time stream represents." He pointed to the one red stream. "The outcome is the same. In many, Danny faces the unknown. In some, Dan does. There are even a few where no one faces it all."

"But I thought you were sure Danny was the one."

"I have examined every time stream that leads to this point. Danny was the only common factor among them. Every stream came together at the point of his accident where he gained his ghost powers, then split again after. Only a handful of times throughout existence have such an event been exactly the same in every single possible timeline."

"And the great disaster?"

"Another point where all the possibilities converge." He shifted to his child form. "Where in the cloud, I do not know, nor do I know what will happen when they do. I will not know until it happens and see if the future does indeed change."

"That why it is important for me to see what you can't. To give Danny a chance!"

"And if you die in that attempt?" Sam went silent. Clockwork sighed and shifted to his young adult form. "You are one of his pillars of strength. Support him; your powers will play their role when the time is right." He bowed slightly. "As for you current problem, have faith and a solution will present itself." He vanished, leaving Sam with her thoughts.

* * *

After what happened at the school, Danny had been unable to get away to see Jack Sparrow until the next day. He had plenty of questions for Sidney, but that would have to wait until he could track him down at school. Both Tucker and Sam met him at the warehouse and after hearing about Sam's encounter with Dan, he wanted to punch his copy even more. Sam had decided to keep her meeting with Clockwork to herself. Danny had enough on his mind. They found Jack resting in a large hammock strung between two support posts. He had a red cloth over his eyes and was snoring rather loudly.

"Captain Jack?" Danny lifted the cloth. "I have a problem."

"Your mental doppelganger has a body of his own, with all your ghostly powers, plus he has access to a Ghost genie with unlimited wishes at his disposal." He lifted his head up. "And he kissed Sam."

"Well that saves me the time to explain what is going on. What should I do?"

"Unfortuity that is for you to decide. Unless Dan tries to take over the city using a boat, I cannot interfere." Before the boy could protest. "I will however continue your non ghost related training and not give any aid to that wayward double of yourself."

"Really?"

"Of course!" Sparrow patted Danny on the shoulder. "You got greatness in you Danny. It takes more than fancy powers to make a hero and I believe you're still the one that will save us all from whatever may come."

"Thanks, Jack!" Danny hugged the pirate who quickly pushed him away after a second.

"Your quite welcome, mate. But please, don't do that again."

"Sorry!"

"No worries. It is ok to get a little emotional from time to time. Now, you get to school and if you have any ideas on what you want to do about Dan, I am willing to listen and give you input." As they turned to leave, Danny smiled. "You're the greatest Captain."


	51. Joining Together

While Danny and his friends headed for school, Jack and Maddie Fenton joined a small force of police officers in front of the newly transformed Master Tower. While still unsure of what actually happened, Jack's rant about it being a ghost's fault was enough to send a small squad in with The Fentons. Each of the officers were armed with Fenton Ghost Blasters, which looked like oversized silver blasters from a lazer tag game. Jack held The Fenton Portable Gene Splicer in his hands, while Maddie balanced The Fenton Portable Portal on her right shoulder. The goal was either to banish the ghost back to the zone, or rip it apart atom by atom.

The group entered the building and found the lobby empty save for a red carpet that led to a trio of elevators. The Fentons took the center elevator while the cops split up among the remaining two. A piano tune played as the elevators slowly rose up to the top floor. By the time the doors opened, Jack was whistling the tune and Maddie wanted to blast the speaker. The top floor had had plush carpet and was filled with seemingly random things. One wall had a line of arcade machines with a full lane bowling alley. A one hundred inch TV hung from the ceiling and a pile of gold was shoved against another wall.

Jack stood transfixed at the sight. "Man this is cool stuff."

"Focus, Jack!" Maddie waved for the cops to follow. "All this is probably stolen."

Dan Phantom phased through the floor and bowed at the group. "Welcome to Phantom Tower."

Everyone leveled their weapons at him. Jack stepped forward. "You reign of terror is over Invso-Bill." A small portal appeared behind his head and Dan slapped him through it.

"The name is Phantom! Danny Phantom!" He pointed to the DP symbol on his chest. "This is clearly a D, granted you need to use a little imagination for the P, but it is there."

Maddie crouched down to better aim her weapon. "It doesn't matter what you call yourself, you have a one way trip back to the zone."

"I wish your weapons were gone." A green light shimmered around the weapons The Fentons and Cops were carrying and they vanished.

Jack patted his jumpsuit. "He even managed to take my hidden weapons."

"As you can see, you don't have the ability to stop me. I'll let you mull that over for a while. I wish you were all back at your homes." Everyone but Dan vanished from the tower. He chuckled as Desiree appeared. "Not bad for my first meeting with the masses."

"You have showed them your power, but wouldn't it be simpler to just wish for them to be your slaves?"

"Now where would the fun be if I did that? Besides, I don't need them to serve me. They just need to learn to stay out of my way."

Plasmus phased through a wall. "Not bad for you first evil monolog." He floated over and landed a few feet away. "Imagine my surprise when I was told of not only a ghost genie, but a second Danny Phantom."

"There is only one Danny Phantom. You pretty brave to be entering my tower, or very stupid."

"Lord Plasmus never does anything stupid." Plasmus's hand gently gripped the handle of a slightly curved sword at his belt. "I am more than prepared for anything you could come up with." Before Plasmus could draw his sword, it vanished and reappeared in Dan's hand.

Plasmus took a step back. "But you didn't say I wish!"

Desiree laughed as she placed her hands on Dan's shoulders. "I would be a poor servant if I couldn't anticipate my master's wishes."

"Its official, it was stupid for you to come here." He gave the sword a test swing. A wail issued from the blade like a shockwave and blasted Plasmus backward. Dan smirked as he examined the blade. "Interesting sword!"

He swung it harder towards Plasmus and was rewarded with a louder and more powerful wail. Plasmus tried to dodge, but the wail hit him hard and he was smashed into the far wall. Plasmus had to concentrate so not to turn back to his human form as he pushed himself up to a kneeling position. Dan didn't know how to use The Banshee Blade fully, but even at a fraction of its power, it still hurt.

Dan gripped the sword with both hands. "I'll finish you and take your empire for my own. Lord Phantom, It does have a catchy ring to it." Before he could swing, a sharp pain hit him in his stomach. It quickly spread throughout his body and he dropped the sword. "What is happening?" He clenched his fists and saw them fade for a second.

"Well that took long enough!" The Banshee Blade floated off of the floor and gently landed in Desiree's hand.

"What are you doing? I am your master!" The pain caused Dan to fall to the floor.

"Fool! With every wish you made, my power grew. Now I am powerful enough to grant my own wishes." She waved her green glowing hand and Dan was sent flying across the room. "I will make this entire world my kingdom and I will be worshiped as their queen."

* * *

Danny and his friends spotted Sidney Poindexter running towards them with a worn brown book under his arm. "Danny!" Sidney held up the book when he reached them. "I found my Uncle's journal. He wrote down his encounter with Desiree."

"Anything helpful?" Sam took the book and flipped through it.

"When Desiree was alive, she was apparently involved with a sultan, who promised to fulfill her heart's desire, but was banished by the Sultan's jealous wife and eventually died of a broken heart and old age. My uncle found her bottle twenty years ago and began to make wishes. Her power grows with every wish and eventually, she grows powerful enough to become her own master. My uncle managed to wish her back into her bottle before that happened."

Danny sighed. "And my double is no doubt making wish after wish." Danny suddenly felt a sharp pain rip through his chest and he fell down.

Tucker tried to help him up. "Are you alright man?"

"I don't know. It just really hurts."

Sam helped Tucker and they managed to lift Danny to his feet. "We have to get him to Jack."

"Who is Jack?" Sidney looked at the trio with a puzzled look.

Both Sam and Tucker glanced at each other for a few seconds before Sam spoke. "Jack Fenton! Danny's dad."

"Oh!"

The teens were just lucky no teachers had spotted them and made their way to Danny's house. Danny's moans of pain grew more frequent by the time they reached the building. Both of Danny's parents were standing in front of the building. Each were looking around and scratching their heads. Maddie was the first to spot the kids.

"What are you doing here so early and what is wrong with Danny?"

Everyone mumbled as they tried to come up with a story. Tucker was the first to blurt something out. "Danny ate the cook's surprise at school and it was only a half day." Both Sam and Sidney slapped their faces and shook their heads. It wasn't even nine a.m. No one would buy that story.

"Great Scott!" Jack grabbed his wife's shoulders. "That ghost not only banished us from his tower, but held us in limbo for hours."

"We need to run some tests on ourselves to make sure he didn't do anything else to us." Maddie patted Danny's head. "Go lie down and have some crackers and ginger ale. That always helps your father's stomach aches."

"To The Lab!" Jack Fenton dramatically pointed to the building and ran inside with his wife.

Sidney had a look of disbelief on his face. "I can't believe that worked."

"Welcome to the Fenton Home." Sam and Tucker hauled Danny to his room and laid him down. The pain he had been felling had spread to the other parts of his body. Tucker ran out and headed for the warehouse as fast as his legs would carry him.

Sidney started to panic. "What do we do?" Sam paced while nervously tapping on her bracelet. Her previous attempts to see the future had been remarkably unhelpful and downright dangerous. Desperate, she removed the bracelet and fell to the floor. "Not you too!" Sidney looked at the downed girl and the pain wracked Danny. He fainted.

* * *

Instead of visions, she felt like she was floating in a dark void. She reached out with her hand and felt was seemed to be strings as black as the void around her. "Child!" She heard a female's voice that sounded vaguely familiar. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't. "Reach out to him. Lend him your strength." It was the voice of her ancestor she had met when Clockwork sent her back in time. Was this the knowledge she spoke of when she did the transference? Sam's hand ran across the strings until it grasped one.

* * *

The pain started to subside and Danny managed to stand up. The pain was still there, but nowhere near as bad. He stumbled past the prone forms of Sidney and Sam and headed for the bathroom. He turned on the faucet and gulped down several mouthfuls of water. As he shut it off and looked at the mirror, he nearly fell back into the tub. His reflection was of Sam and not himself.

"What is going on?"

"I don't know!" Sam's mouth was moving, but her voice was in his head. "I think my spirit is in your body right now. Something is wrong with it, like it is only half alive."

"My ghost half?"

"Yes, I don't think you can survive without it. We need to find Dan and merge you to back together."

"How?"

"I don't know, but me being here is the only thing holding you together. I sense traces of your ghostly DNA, I think I can…." Sam vanished and Danny's reflection returned.

"Sam?" Danny felt a surge of something from his core and he transformed into his ghost form. The pain had all but vanished and he felt like he was at full strength. "Alright!"

"Danny!" Sam's voice had grown fainter in his mind. "I can't sustain your transformation for long."

"Don't worry, my dad mentioned a tower and there is only one real tower in the city."

* * *

Desiree was now lounging on a large pile of pillows. Her normally smoky half had turned to legs and she was having each foot rubbed by a muscular green ghost dressed in Arabian clothes. Dan was in a small cage in the center of the room. His body was fading in and out. Plasmus was chained to a wall by his wrists and legs. He tried to phase out of them, but the cuffs sparkled green every time he tried and prevented him from escaping. He was still wondering why his minions hadn't come to his rescue yet.

Danny phased through the wall and remained invisible as he floated over to the cage. He tapped Dan on the shoulder. "You holding on?"

"I can barely move and am slowly fading away. You must be enjoying this."

"If it wasn't for Sam, I'd be in the same boat. We can't survive without each other."

"Are you trying to make me throw up?" Dan managed to roll onto his back. "I rather face oblivion than remain a prisoner in your mind."

"Why do I doubt that?"

"I hate you!" He held his hand up. "I will not be your prisoner."

"Try not to be too chatty at least." Danny clasped Dan's hand. Dan's form began to melt and he turned into green goo. The goo traveled up Danny's arm and covered his body. It glowed and Danny's absorbed it. Danny's eyes flashed as he felt a rush of power. He felt Dan's presence for a moment as it retreated to the back of his mind.

"_Danny!"_ Sam's voice echoed in Danny's head.

"What?" All Danny had to do get his answer was to look up. Desiree was standing in front of him with her large muscular ghosts just behind her. Danny managed a small grin and waved. "Hi!"

"Hi!" Desiree waved as the muscular ghosts charged at him.

"Daniel! I could be of some help." Plasmus pulled at his restraints.

Danny sighed as he jumped clear of the large fists. "I am going to regret this!" He fired several energy beams and shattered the cuffs. Plasmus laughed loudly as purple energy erupted from his body. He threw out his hands and blasted the ghosts back with purple beams.

"No one entraps the future ghost king!"

"Amusing!" Desiree snapped her fingers and The Banshee Blade floated next her. "The sultans of old use to be protected by flying scimitars. While not a scimitar it does have one redeeming feature." The blade flew at Plasmus and spun in midair. A loud wail issued from it in all directions. Plasmus managed to avoid the blade, but the wail slammed him into the floor. "I have overseen the rise and fall of countless monarchs." The Persian Rugs on the floor sprung to life and wrapped Plasmus like a mummy. "And you will be no different."

"Not that I mind you taking Plasmus down a peg." Danny tackled Desiree to the ground.

Her face erupted with fury. "No man can touch me!" Green energy tendrils wrapped around Danny and flung him clear of the genie.

The rugs burnt away and Plasmus stepped out of the smoldering remains. "I will do far more than touch you." The Banshee Blade swung around and soared at him with its wail issuing around it. He threw out his energy beams, but the wail dissipated the beams. "I hate that sword!" He managed to raise and energy barrier and the sword impacted it. The wail splashed against barrier and Plasmus was pushed back as the wail tore up the floor.

Danny groaned and sat up. Luckily, Desiree had flung him into the pile of pillows. As he pulled himself to his feet, his hand wrapped around an object that had been hidden in the pillows. It was a bottle made of blue glass with various gems imbedded into it. "What is this?"

"_A genie bottle!"_

"Are you sure about that, Sam?"

"_You have a better idea?"_

"Good point!" Danny jumped clear as the muscular ghosts tried to tackle him.

Desiree spotted him and laughed. "That bottle has no power over me." The floor under Danny came to life and raised up to smack him down. The walls of the room twisted like liquid and blocked him from moving any direction except the direction Desiree was in. The ghost genie was slowly floating towards him. "Anything you would like to say before I turn you into goat."

Lost in thought, he muttered the only thing that came to mind. "I wish I would have made out with Sam before this." Things blurred out for a few seconds as he felt his arms wrap around something. His lips met something warm and realized it was Sam as his vision returned to normal. They kissed for a few more moments before breaking apart.

"How did that happened?" Sam checked her wrist and found her bracelet back on.

"My wish was granted." Danny looked at the bottle still in his hand and then to Desiree. "You granted my wish."

Desiree floated back a bit. "I just did it to give you false hope."

Sam took the bottle from Danny. "I wish this tower was back to normal."

Desiree began to sweat and her hands trembled. "I am my own master!" She cursed as energy formed around her. The tower flashed with light and returned to its half built status. All of them were standing on an unfinished floor with building materials around them.

"You can't help yourself, can you?" Sam crossed her arms. "You've been granting wishes for so long, you can't refuse when someone makes a wish."

"You won't be able to talk when I turn you into a lamp."

"I wish Sidney had never found your bottle and that Danny and I will be the only ones to remember this."

"I will have my revenge!" Desiree flew into the air. "So you have wished it and so it shall be!"

* * *

**Two days ago**

Sidney ducked down a hallway in an attempt to avoid Dash and his friends, but bumped into the quarterback before he could make it to the exit. Before Dash could touch him, Lancer came running up. "Mister Poindexter!" Lancer patted him on the back. "Congratulations are in order."

"What for?"

"Your application for early graduation has been approved. The admissions board at the university was very impressed with your grades and would like to schedule a meeting." Lancer led Sidney to his office, leaving Dash and his friends without someone to bully.

* * *

Danny and Sam stood in front of the open ghost portal. Danny had Desiree's bottle in hand. He had taken it from Sidney Poindexter's attic. He doubted that it would be missed. "I here Sidney is going to college. Guess Dash will be back to making my life miserable."

"The life and times of a superhero."

"Just one wish?"

Sam grabbed the bottle and flung it into the portal. "You've had your one wish."

Danny chuckled. "But since that all didn't technically happen thanks to undoing Sidney finding the bottle."

Sam smiled and kissed him.


	52. Expermental Results

A week after reporting to Plasmus, Red and Technus were ready to try their first cloning attempt. The power gem had been hooked to a low level laser above the pool of pure ecto energy. The laser beam would travel through the gem, draw the near limitless energy from the gem, and dump it into the pool. Red set a small container into a needle on a swing arm. They were going to use the DNA from the teen they had captured from the music hall fire for the test.

Technus wiped some sweat from his brow as he quickly typed in equations. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"No one has ever risen to power by playing it safe." Red slid the safety glass into place. "If this works, he will have his apprentice and son."

"Even if this test gives us a viable clone, there is no guarantee the next attempt will. We are essentially rolling the cosmic dice and hoping for double sixes."

"Not a gambling ghost?"

"Not when I can expect anything from a normal human boy to a giant blob creature."

Red nodded and walked over to the master controls. "That is why Skulker is on standby." He gripped the master switch. "Here we go!" He pulled the switch and the laser began energizing the pool. It took less than an hour for the pool to reach maximum energy saturation. Red reached for the button that would dump the DNA sample into the pool. "What are the odds of success?"

"I have told you a thousand times, I have no clue. I had to do some major calculus just to make an educated guess on how to set this experiment up."

"Well, this should be fun." Red pressed the button and backed away from the controls.

The swing arm moved and dumped the content of the container into the center of the pool. The pool began to bubble wildly and change colors. The ecto energy began to grow and the protective glass began to crack. Both Red and Technus flew out of the room as it exploded.

* * *

Vlad Plasmus was sitting on his throne with his floating computer in front of him. His throne room shook and the power cut out. "What is going on?" He stood up as the doors that led to the science section burst open and a wave of glowing green slime flowed toward him. "Oh fish sticks!" He threw out his hands and a purple energy dome appeared around him. The slime hit the dome and flowed around Plasmus. For the time, he was stuck until the level of the slime dropped.

* * *

Locked in the prison area, Johnny 13 was board out of his mind. Kitty was locked in the cell next to him, but both had to yell in order to hear each other through the wall. Eventually, her voice grew horse and she had stopped. Plasmus hadn't gone through with his experiments he had promised the both of them, but he knew that it was only a matter of time. The single light that was embedded in the ceiling flickered and shut off. An alarm went off in the distance and a red emergency light shone through the small window slot in the door.

Johnny stood up and pounded on the wall that adjoined Kitty's cell. "Kitty?" He waited for a few moments with no response. He yelled louder, but still didn't get a response. A third attempt was stopped with a bubbling sound coming from the door.

A green slime began to seep into the room from the edges of the door. He jumped onto his cot as the slime covered the floor. The small drain in the center of the cell was inadequate for the amount of the slime coming in. The slime flashed with black light and began to shrink into a form on the floor. The form it was taking was an exact match of his shadow that was being cast on the floor. The slime seem to vanish into his shadow and his shadow slowly began to take a three dimensional shape.

"What is going on?"

It rose up and floated in front of Johnny. It looked like a black ghost with a ghostly tail instead of legs. A pair of glowing red eyes appeared with a mouth full of sharp green teeth. It seemed content to let Johnny freak out about it for a few minutes.

"Are you my shadow?" The shadow nodded. Johnny reached out and poked the shadow. It was like sticking his finger into ice cold gravy. "So what now?" The shadow glanced at the door to the cell. "Can you open the door?" The shadow nodded again and flew at the door. It slipped through the edges of the door as easily as the slime had. The door's electronic lock sparked and the door swung open. "Cool!"

Johnny stepped out of his cell and was heel deep in a river of that glowing green slime. The alarm was louder and he could hear shouting from other parts of the base. His shadow appeared next to him. "Now open Kitty's cell!" The shadow repeated the move on the door and it opened. Johnny found Kitty curled up on her cot. She was shivering, from fear of the slime or from withdraw symptoms, he couldn't be sure. "Kitty?"

Her face seemed to brighten when she saw him. "Johnny!" She started to get off the cot, but stopped short of stepping into the slime. "What is going on? What is this stuff?"

"Not sure, Kitten. But we better not waste this chance to bail."

"Is that stuff safe?"

Johnny glanced back and looked for his shadow. It seemed to have returned to its two dimensional place it had before it had transformed. "Not sure exactly." Kitty smiled and Johnny groaned. He scooped the girl up in his arms and made his way down the hall.

They passed by several other cells, but didn't hear anyone trying to escape. As they turned a corner, they were spotted by two ghosts. SWAT ghosts that had defected from Walker's Prison, they wore football gear instead of police armor. They charged at the pair. Johnny's shadow rose up and flew at the ghosts. The ghosts casted shadows and Johnny's shadow flew into one of them. The ghost in question suddenly stopped moving and rammed his fist into his partner's face. An argument broke out as they exchanged blows. Johnny slinked by them as well as he could with Kitty in his arms. When they were clear, Johnny's shadow flew up and return to its normal place.

Kitty couldn't believe her eyes. "Johnny, what was that?"

"My shadow, I think."

Johnny grunted with effort and moved as fast as he could. The alarm seemed to grow louder as he reached an impasse, a gray door to his left or another hall in front of him. Kitty reached for the knob and found it unlocked. Johnny kicked the door open and stepped down into a pool of slime that was waist deep. "Oh this is just great!"

"Johnny!"

"What?" Kitty pointed and Johnny looked up at a large spinning turbine as small bolts of electricity sparked from wires on the ceiling. "Damn!"

"Welcome to the backup generator." Johnny turned and saw Eyevar's large main eye floating in the doorway. It was flanked by two smaller basketball sized eyes. "I don't know how you managed to escape, but you're going right back."

"Sorry, freak. But my girl and I are splitting this place."

The eyes began to glow red. "Oh, you will be splitting, but not in the way you desire." All three eyes fired beams of red energy. The hit the slime in front of the pair and the force from the blasts knocked Johnny off of his feet and Kitty flew from his arms. She landed a few feet away in the slime.

Johnny spat out some of the slime that managed to get into his mouth. "You'll pay for that freak. Shadow!" His shadow rose up and flew at the floating eyes. Unfortunately, none of the eyes were casting a significant shadow for it to take control of. The shadow dodged eye blasts and flew into the shadow of a fire axe that was on the wall. A thin black line shot from the axe and Johnny grabbed it. A shadowy form of the axe appeared in his hand. Johnny gave it a test swing. The real axe flew off the wall and matched his swings from several feet away. "Nice!" He swung the shadow axe and the real one flew at the large main eye of Eyevar.

"Fool!" Eyevar's main eye flew low and fired a beam that knocked the axe towards the ceiling. The axe spun in the air and sliced through a few of the overhead wires. They sparked and one large one fell towards the slime.

"Kitty!" Johnny tried to reach the downed girl, but the two smaller eyeballs fired pink energy beams and the beams wrapped around his arms and lifted him up.

The large main eye took careful aim at Johnny. "Now to end this mild annoyance."

The large wire hit the pool and it was instantly electrified. Kitty screamed out as green and white energy sparked all around her body. The slime around her began to bubble and swirl. The level of the slime seemed to drop a bit as the girl's screams intensified as the energy shot through her body. Eyevar's smaller eyes still held Johnny in place, but his main eye was transfixed on the sight bellow. The backup generator died and so did the energy from the wire. The room was dark save for the light coming from Kitty. Her skin had taken a bluish tint and her normally brown flat hair had turned green and slightly spiked.

"Let go of my Johnny!" She yelled and large bolts of electricity flowed from her hands. The bolts tore through the smaller eyes and they exploded with loud pops. Eyevar cried out in pain and floated away. Johnny fell from the air and managed to land on his feet. The pool of slime only came to his knees. Kitty stumbled and fell down.

"Kitty!" Johnny pulled her out of the pool. The bluish tint had lightened, but her hair was the same. "Kitten?"

Her eyes fluttered open for a few seconds. "I want to go home." She passed out.

"Whatever you want!" Johnny picked up Kitty. "Shadow!" His shadow flew down from the ceiling. "Clear a path!" The shadow nodded and flew down the hall Johnny had passed up earlier. Eyevar was floating near a corner, still crying about his lost eyes. "Another time freak!"

Johnny ran out of the room and down the hall. He passed by a few ghosts who were slumped on the floor. A pair of sliding double doors had been wedged open ahead of him. He met his shadow as he walked through them and found himself in a very large vehicle bay. Cars, tanks, and even a few planes sat in the darken room. Even with the poor light, Johnny found something he liked. A large bike was sitting off to one side. Its back was enlarged with what looked like a trio of jet engines and he spotted a pair of laser blasters mounted on the front axle. A large metal skull adored the handle bars with the eyes serving as headlights.

"Now that is a bike." He set Kitty on the back of the seat as he sat down and grabbed the handle bars. His shadow wrapped around both of their waists to keep Kitty from falling off. Johnny smiled as he pressed the start button and the bike roared to life. He flipped a small switch mounted on the gas tank and the bike started to hover off the ground.

"Nice!" He found a pair of triggers above the break levers on the handle bars. He pressed them and the laser blasters fired and shot a hole in the large bay door. Sunlight streamed from the hole. He laughed as he fired several more times until the hole was large enough for the bike to fly through. "I'll be back to settle things." He flew the bike out of the bay.

* * *

It took two hours for the slime to settle and for it to be moved to the lower area of the base. Red and Technus stood in front of Plasmus' still slimy throne. The ghost lord was standing in front of them. Skulker and Spectra stood ready to deliver whatever punishment Plasmus was going to dish out. Amazingly, not much anger could be seen on his face.

"Let's see! My entire science wing of my base is completely destroyed, untold damage has been inflicted throughout, the power gem is missing, and two of my prisoners have escaped."

"And yet you don't seem that mad about it." Red slapped Technus over the head.

"While I am can say for certain that the cloning idea is being thrown out, some interesting results did occur." He glanced at the still sulking Eyevar. The ghost mutant had recalled all of his remaining eyes and now stood in his humanoid form. It would be awhile before he would be willing to send them out again. "Both of those losers have developed interesting abilities after being exposed to the ecto energy."

"But why only those two?" Spectra walked over to Plasmus. "Plenty of ghosts were hit with that sludge."

Skulker pounded his metal fist against the wall. "Let me hunt those whelp downs and bring back their corpses." It had been his bike that Johnny and Kitty had stolen.

Plasmus sighed and waved the pair off. "They will show up sooner or later. All questions can be answered then." He turned to Red. "How goes the reprograming of the boy?"

"I have never done such a massive replacement of memories. But I believe he will be ready soon. And I am developing some new techniques that will make it easier to bring Danny to your side."

"Good!" He sighed as he looked at his throne. "Clean all this up." He walked out of the room.

Red sighed. "Technus, clean all this up!" He flew through the ceiling.

Technus twirled his power staff. "Skulker, clean all this up!"

"And why should I do that?"

Technus smirked and pressed a small button on his staff. Skulker's right hand curled into a fist and began to repeatedly punch him in the face. "Because I built your suit and can control its every function." He pressed the button again and started for the destroyed science wing.

Skulker turned to Spectra who gave him a just try it look and walked past him. The ghost hunter sighed and got to work.


	53. Strange Arrivals

It was after midnight by the time Skulker managed to gather up the last of the ecto energy. He hefted a large metal cylinder onto his back. Despite the fact it was ten feet tall and weighed near 700 pounds, he managed to carry to the ghost portal. Not bothering to set the targeting scanners on the portal, he simply flicked the on switch and flung the cylinder through. He clapped his hands together and shut the portal off.

"Glad that is over!"

* * *

Near a construction site in Amity Park, a portal shimmered to life. The cylinder fell through it and smashed against a large old tree that was standing in the center of the site. The ecto energy poured out and saturated the ground around it. Within an hour, all of it had disappeared underneath the broken up earth.

* * *

Danny Phantom shot over the skies of Amity Park as fast as he could go. Once again, he had blasted his alarm clock with his ghost ray while he was sleeping. He had five minutes to get to the school for his first period class. As he flew through the heart of the city, his ghost sense went off.

"Always when I am in a rush!" Danny stopped and looked around, a green bolt of shot through street below him, moving effectively through the traffic. "Hopefully this will be an easy one." Danny adjusted the backpack he was carrying and flew after the bolt. Despite the bolt having to dodge traffic while Danny simply flew over it, Danny was having trouble keeping up with the bolt. "Damn that thing is fast."

The green bolt suddenly leapt and shot up the side of a tall building. Danny followed and fired several ghost beams. He missed the bolt and Danny cringed as his ghost beams shattered several windows. The bolt jumped from the building and landed on the roof of another building and continued its course.

Danny checked his watch and sighed. "Maybe I can catch second period."

The chase took Danny from one end of the city to the other. The green bolt continued moving at high speeds regardless of what is moved across. When the bolt passed a guy with a hotdog cart, it suddenly stopped. Danny's jaw dropped at the sight before him. The green bolt in question was a four and half foot tall blue hedgehog. "I don't believe it." Danny landed as the hedgehog was being handed a large chilidog. "Sonic?"

The hedgehog smirked. "Hey Danny! Do you mind covering me on this one? Don't have pockets for a wallet."

* * *

After paying for a round of chilidogs and giving up on classes for the day, Danny took Sonic to the warehouse to talk with Jack Sparrow. He would have to face the wrath of his parents later. At the warehouse, it took Danny awhile to get use to the sight of Captain Jack Sparrow talking to Sonic the Hedgehog. "So this Sonic is the one who helped us in Nocturn's realm."

"Who you calling, this?" Sonic looked insulted. "I am the one and only."

"That is not what I meant. And why were you setting off my ghost sense and glowing with ghostly energy?"

Sonic shrugged. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He walked over and leaned against the wall that Danny used for target practice. "I am certainly no ghost." He turned intangible and fell through the wall. Sonic rubbed his head and stood up. "Now I am confused."

Jack Sparrow held his hand up. "I have a semi plausible explanation." He held up a handheld device that looked a crazy combination a light bright and an erector set. "Sonic's body is composed of a pure ecto energy that has been mutated to an extreme degree. Do you remember how you got here?"

Sonic scratched his head. "Not sure! I can't seem to remember much. I woke up in some park in the middle of the city."

"The Park!" Danny suddenly had a panicked look on his face as he checked his watch. "Sam wanted me to join her protest in the park after school. She is trying to save some old tree. There is no way I am going to make it time. She is going to kill me."

Sonic spotted some rope on the floor and smirked. "We can put this on hold for a bit. I'll get you there in time."

* * *

Danny yelled as he was pulled through the city by Sonic. The hedgehog had tied the rope around his waist and Danny was doing his best to hang on to his end. Danny focused his intangibility power through the rope so both of them were intangible. Green ghostly energy had enveloped Sonic as he reached full speed. They shot through buildings and caused everyone the past to look around to try and find the source of the yelling. As they entered the park, Sonic skidded to a halt. Danny continued to fly and lost his grip on the rope. He solidified in time to crash into a large group of bushes. His ghost form gave out and he fell out of the bushes. He was sore, but his ghost form had taken the blunt of the damage. He was lying face up on the ground when Sam suddenly appeared over him.

"I was worried you wouldn't make it." She helped him to his feet. "Where were you all day? Lancer went on warpath trying to find you."

"I was chasing the Sonic the Hedgehog from Nocturn's realm who apparently is a ghost in this world."

Sam's eyebrow went up and she gave him a confused look. "Even after all that we have been through, I find that hard to believe."

"I'll talk about it later." He looked around. "So, what about this protest?"

Sam pointed to a very large tree. It was at least fifty feet tall and its branches looked they had been twisted. It was covered in countless names that had been carved into its bark. "This tree has been here since Amity Park was founded and they want to bulldoze it down and put in another basketball court."

Around the tree, the ground already been dug up and a few bulldozers sat ready several feet away. Sam led him past a bent up metal container that was lying next to the tree. Danny's ghost sense went off. He stopped and looked around for the ghost.

"Are you alright?"

Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "It's nothing, sorry." He spotted Tucker, Amber, and a small group of people he didn't recognize standing around the tree with protest signs in hand. "I see you managed to some support."

"Well, Tucker is only doing this because he is our friend. Amber needed to get out and do something. The others are nature preservers from around the state." She handed Danny a sign. "You join the group; I'm going to climb the tree with the megaphone."

"You can count on me."

Sam kissed his cheek. "I know I can. Now don't be afraid if the police come." Sam ran to the tree and began to climb it.

"Police?"

* * *

Less than thirty minutes into the protest, the police did appear. Danny did his best to hide behind his sign. He wasn't sure what would his parents would ground him for first. Skipping school or getting arrested. As the police began to clear the crowd, the ground began to shake and crack. Small green vines began to sprout from the cracks. Danny jumped clear as the vines began to wrap around the legs of anyone near them. "What is going on?"

"Danny!" The tree Sam had climbed had begun to grow rapidly and she had to hold on to avoid falling off.

"I'm coming!" Danny looked around and found everyone full distracted. He jumped into the bushes he had originally crashed into and transformed.

Danny Phantom flew out of the bushes and found himself an impasse. He needed to save Sam, but he couldn't leave these guys to these vines. Before he could decide, a green ball of energy rolled past him and began to carve through the vines. The ball turned blue as it stopped rolling and uncurled into Sonic.

"I got things down here."

"Thanks!" Danny flew at Sam as fast as he could.

As he was about to reach her, a large group of branches and vines busted out of the tree and formed into a giant arm and hand, it swatted Danny out of the air like a fly. More branches and vines grew out of the tree until it formed a one hundred foot tall, roughly humanoid figure from the waist up. Below the waist, it was a tangle of roots and vines that disappeared into the ground. A beck like mouth formed from razor sharp leaves and a set of glowing red eyes formed. Thorn covered vines wrapped around the body and large leaves grew in to look like body armor. The tree it originally had been was atop its head, like a crown.

Danny's ghost sense went off. "This can't be good."

The plant creature seemed to stretch and let out a loud yawn. "After a thousand years of sleep, Undergrowth lives again."

"Who!"

Undergrowth glanced down at the floating teen. "I am the living embodiment of nature itself. For too long, I have slept while humans have destroyed by children and ruined the very planet that gives your kind life." He waved his arms out and the trees in the park began to grow larger. "My consciousness, my will, shall spread across the globe, and the concrete jungles, shall become REAL jungles"

Danny watched as Sam still clung to the tree that was atop Undergrowth's head. "That sounds great, but can I have the girl that is trapped on your tree head."

Undergrowth chuckled and backhanded Danny, the ghost teen crashed into the ground. "I think not meat-thing." He reached up and plucked Sam out of the tree. "I heard your attempts to save my tree. You will be a perfect queen to tend my garden."

"You're what?"

The ground rumbled and thicker vines shot from the ground. One vine wrapped around a policeman and lifted him of the ground. Red flower peddles sprouted from the vines and incased the policeman in a giant red flower bulb.

"Within these bulbs, I will transform humanity into plant hybrids that will help spread my children across the world." He held Sam up to his face. "And you shall lead them."

"As much as I am for making the Earth greener, I'll pass."

"You have no choice in the matter." A slit appeared at the center of his chest and opened up. Red vines grew out of the slit and began to wrap around Sam. "I will transform you into my perfect servant." The vines began to pull Sam into Undergrowth's body.

"Hang on Sam!" Danny shot into the air and held his palms together. A large sphere of concentrated ghost energy formed in-between them. He held the sphere out and a large beam of energy fired from the sphere. The beam sliced through the left shoulder of Undergrowth and his left arm fell off and crash into the ground. The arm instantly decomposed.

"You can´t destroy a being who's able to regenerate itself!" The shoulder and arm quickly regrew. Undergrowth flexed the new arm and several large thorns fired from it. Danny dodged, but one managed to graze his neck. Danny put his hand on the wound and found it bleeding a little bit. His vision started to blur. Undergrowth laughed as Danny ability to float seemed to waver. "You're feeling the effects of one of my toxins. Not fatal, but you'll be in condition to fight me."

His laugh was cut off as a green bolt shot through the air and cut through the vines trapping Sam. Sam fell and was caught by Danny. He floated down and landed as softly as he could. The green bolt landed on top of Undergrowth's beak and the plant ghost was now staring at Sonic the hedgehog.

"Don't you know, you're supposed to take a girl to a movie before trying to mutate her?" Sonic tapped his foot.

"I don't know who you are, but I can tell you are an abomination and must be destroyed."

"Now that is just rude." Sonic seemed to vanish as Undergrowth attempted to squish him with his hand. He ran across Undergrowth's chest and stopped on his shoulder. He laid down and stretched out. "Hey, slow-mo!"

Undergrowth's hands turned into razor sharp talons and he tried to grab the hedgehog. Sonic moved at the last second and Undergrowth's talons cut into his own shoulder. "Curse you!" Sonic continued to run around Undergrowth's body while the plant ghost tried to catch him.

Sam helped Danny limp away from Undergrowth. The toxin was beginning to make it hard for Danny to walk. It was all he could do to keep his ghost form. The number of trapped people in the giant flower bulbs had grown considerably. Both of them watched as Tucker and Amber were captured and encased in the bulbs.

"What are we going to do?"

Danny tried to look at Sam, but couldn't focus on her. "Just point me in the right direction."

"You're in no condition to fight." A loud growl issued from the bulb that had trapped Tucker. The ghost werewolf busted out of the bulb and howled. "Tucker?"

Danny squinted. "Where?"

The werewolf started to approach them, but a vine wrapped around his leg. His claws grew and glowed with green energy. The ghost werewolf sliced the vine off and turned to Undergrowth. He roared a challenge and charged at the plant ghost. He climbed up Undergrowth's body, slicing into it as he went.

"This is turning out to be a really weird day." Sam nearly dropped Danny as he stumbled and returned to his human form. "Come on Danny, we need to get you out of here." A group of large trees sprung out of the ground and blocked their path.

"You will not escape me!" Undergrowth tried to smack the werewolf off of him. The werewolf latched onto his hand and began to run up his arm. "This is beginning to annoy me." He grabbed the werewolf with his other hand.

Sonic dashed across Undergrowth's chest and leapt into the air. "Hey, checkout my new trick!" He was glowing with green ghostly energy. Sonic curled into a ball and spun at high speed in the air. Several thin green glowing needles flew from the spinning hedgehog and exploded against the plant ghost's face.

"Insolent pest!" Undergrowth reached for the hedgehog, but a series of explosions went off against his back. He dropped the werewolf, who quickly restarted his climb up Undergrowth's body.

Valerie Grey flew past on her hover board; she balanced a pair of rocket launchers on her shoulders. "I don't care what size you ghosts come in, you mess with my town, I'll take you down." She fired another pair of rockets that exploded against his face.

Undergrowth roared. "Enough of this!"

Purple flower buds began appear on his body. The buds burst open and clouds of purple spores filled the air around the plant ghost. Everyone who breathed in the spores passed out. The ghost werewolf dropped from Undergrowth and turned back into Tucker when he hit the ground. Valerie fell from her board, but luckily Sonic managed to catch her as she fell. Sonic had been holding his breath, but had to take a deep breath after setting Valerie down. He stumbled around for a moment and then dropped to the ground. Vines quickly wrapped around the fallen and entrapped them in giant red flower buds.

Undergrowth chuckled and turned to the last two in the area that hadn't been trapped. "Now that the annoyances are dealt with, I will have my queen to tend my garden."

Sam leaned Danny against a tree. "I'll tend your garden, but you have to let Danny go."

"There are no negations in this matter." He picked Sam up. The Red vines from the opening in Undergrowth's chest wrapped around her and pulled her inside of his body. He laughed. "Now my work can begin!" He glanced down at Danny and his eyes narrowed. "Another half-breed!" The ground under Danny cracked a tree burst from the ground and carried Danny up so he was just a few feet below Undergrowth's face. "No doubt you will be as much trouble as the other one was."

"Other one?" Danny's vision was too blurry to see the ghost clearly. "What are you talking about? What did you do with Sam?"

"Nothing you need to be concerned with now. I don't know why you are here, but I will not allow you to become a problem." The branches of the tree formed a cocoon around Danny. Large thorns grew out of the branches.

As the branches began to tighten, Undergrowth noticed one of his red flower bulbs was glowing green. He leaned down to examine it. "Chaos Surge!" The flower exploded and a green glowing Sonic charge out it. He launched a spin attack and smashed through the forehead of Undergrowth. He busted out of the back of the plant ghost's head, uncurled and flew to the tree that had trapped Danny. Another spin attack tore the branches apart and freed him.

"Insolent Rodent!" Undergrowth regenerated the damage Sonic had caused. "I will turn you to fertilizer for that."

Sonic simply gave a quick salute and picked up Danny. "Rain check!" He shot through the air and Undergrowth was hit by a sonic boom.

* * *

Flying the entire distance between the park and the warehouse in just a few seconds, Sonic turned himself and Danny intangible and crashed inside the warehouse. He had stopped glowing green, but his fur and quills were now a faded blue rather than the normal color. "Guess I over did it!" Sonic tried to stand, but fell down. He looked at his gloved hand and saw a green slime-like substance dripping from it. He looked around, but soon realized the substance was coming from him. "What…" Sonic passed out on the floor of the warehouse. Danny started to move, but soon joined the hedgehog in dreamland.

* * *

Danny felt like he was stepping out of a fog as he opened his eyes. The blurring of his vision was slowly clearing up. He lifted his head and saw a large yeti with white fur, looking at him. He yelled and scrambled away from him. This proved to be a mistake, it was incredibly cold wherever he was, he was in his underwear, and he had been lying in a large pile of furs next to a fire. He quickly scrambled back into the warm pile of furs.

"What is going on? Where am I? And where are my clothes?"

The yeti smiled and walked over to Danny slowly. "My apologies for your confusion."

His voice was amazingly friendly considering that he towered over Danny and looked like he would rip the teen limb from limb. He stood nearly nine feet tall with small horns on his head that looked like they were made of ice. Only his face was free of white fur and despite the pair of white fangs and red eyes, didn't look as fierce as Danny would have thought. He was dressed in black furs and his left arm seemed like it was made of ice.

A puff of blue steam issued from Danny's mouth. "Who are you?"

The yeti-like ghost bowed slightly. "My name is Frostbite. I lead the tribe of the same name. I am sorry about your clothes, but when I found you, you were covered in sweat. They needed to be removed and cleaned when I brought you here." He motioned to the dome shaped hut they were in. "This was built so you could remain warm while you recovered."

"Where did you bring me?"

Frostbite handed Danny his clothes and a fur coat. "Get dressed and turn into your ghost form. I will explain what I can."


	54. Revelations on the ice

As Danny exited the hut, he was hit by a gust of the coldest wind that he had ever felt. The hut had been built in the back of an ice cave. Frostbite led him through the cave until they reached an opening that led out. Danny was amazed by the site before him. They had walked into a literal winter wonderland, snow and ice for a far as the teen's eyes could see. Other caves dotted the landscape and Danny could see several other ghosts similar to Frostbite. The only features they lacked were the ice horns and ice body part. Danny looked up and found an even stranger site. They were in The Ghost Zone, but a part he had never seen before. This part of the zone was mainly dark purple with darker shades of green streaking across the sky here and there. Even the random rocks that floated everywhere in the zone seemed to be darker than usual. Danny's eyes shifted to what appeared to be a sun on the horizon that was made of black fire. The fire seemed to move like it was made of liquid and not flame.

"This is officially the weirdest and coolest place I have ever been. I've never seen this part of the zone."

"I am not surprised. We are standing near the very center of The Ghost Zone." He pointed to the black sun. "That is The Nexus; it is composed of pure negative energy and is at the very heart of the zone. My tribe is here to insure no one attempts to enter it."

"Why?"

"Anyone who enters the Nexus will either be completely destroyed by the energy or escape with their mind shattered. There is always a slim chance that one may successfully absorb energy from The Nexus and gain near godlike power, but the energy would corrupt them completely."

Frostbite led Danny up a large hill made of snow and ice. "We were charged with the protection of The Nexus by The Observants." He clasped his hands together and slowly pulled them apart. A telescope made of pure ice formed as the hands moved apart. He handed it to Danny and pointed in the direction to look. Danny saw a sphere of black metal in the middle of a rubble field in the distance. "That is where The Observants reside."

"What does all this have to do with me?"

"You have not been told?"

Danny shook his head.

Frostbite sighed. "The Great Disaster has been looming on the horizon for countless millennia. The late Guardian Ghosts of Destiny foretold that a half-ghost would save existence from The Great Disaster. So the Guardian Ghosts sought out a half-ghost in order to prepare whoever it was for the task."

"Who are the Guardian Ghosts?"

Frostbite's face grew grim. "They were a group of ghosts of near limitless power and were responsible for the protection of the zone and all the realms of existence. They were all but destroyed long ago. Only a few still remain."

"I take it Clockwork was one of them."

"Yes! He was the only one able to keep his position after the group was almost wiped out."

"What wiped them out?"

"Much of what happened has been lost to the ages. They managed to find the half-ghost and brought him here for training." Frostbite motioned to the land around them. "This was a beautiful place once, the seat of the guardians at the height of their power. After a few years, the guardian of nature went rouge. You know him as Undergrowth."

"He was a guardian ghost!"

"Yes and next to Clockwork, the only one not to lose a large portion of his power. My ancestor, the first Frostbite, was charged with stopping his rampage. It took nearly all he had, but he managed to defeat the ghost. Locked in the form of a giant seed, he was planted on Earth in the area where your city now resides. It was a spiritually enclosed area, so there was little fear that he could escape in that state. Clockwork arranged that I should check in on the seed every one hundred years." Frostbite scratched his chin. "Now that I think about it, he was very clear that I should appear in the same spot at the same time of day each time. When I arrived, I found you and your strange looking friend."

"Sonic?" Danny had completely forgotten about him. "Is he alright?"

"He is fine, we think."

Danny followed Frostbite into a large cave. A large bowl of stone sat in the center of the cave. A fist sized glowing green gem hovered just over it. Inside the bowl was green ooze that seemed to move on its own. Danny did his best not to throw up. "What happened to him?"

"Your friend was composed of mutated ghostly energy. The gem there is actually a piece of power leftover from the creation of the universe."

"Isn't that what is used to make Ghostly Artifacts?"

"Yes, but this piece is the largest and purest I have ever seen. I believe that your friend's mind resides inside the gem and the gem formed the body out of this ooze. It seemed to have been over taxed and was unable to keep the body together."

"Will he be back?"

"A piece of power never runs out of energy, but the energy it produces can be overdrawn and the piece must rest for a time before returning to full power. When that happens, you friend might reform, but we cannot be sure."

Danny nodded. "Just wait and see. How long do you think it will take?"

"He lost his body about a day after I found you, and it has been six since then. So I couldn't say."

"Seven days! I've been in the Ghost Zone for seven days."

"Yes, it is a long journey from here to the portal that leads to your world."

Danny began to pace frantically. "What about Undergrowth? My home, my friends, Sam?"

"My apologies, we can see what is going on in the city from here." Both of them walked out of the cave to a large rock that stood almost ten feet high and almost as wide. One side was flat and polished to a mirror finish. "This is a seer stone."

Frostbite waved over two of his tribesmen. The chanted in a language that Danny couldn't recognize and held their palms towards the stone. Pinkish light glowed from their hands and a pink swirl appeared on the mirror side of the stone. The swirl slowly vanished and an image could be seen. Danny recognized the image as Amity Park, but almost all the buildings had huge vine wrapped around them. The image shifted to a nearly five hundred foot tall Undergrowth. Small flashes of light fired from some of the buildings and impacted the plant ghost.

"It seems he hasn't caught everyone yet."

Danny stepped closer to try and make out who was still fighting. "Can this thing zoom in or something?"

"I am afraid not. Our magic is not what it once was."

Danny tried to count the nearly countless number of red flower bulbs that dotted the city. "Have he mutated anyone yet?"

"No! He will need to concentrate almost fully in order to begin their transformations. The defenders that still remain will keep him from doing that for now."

"You said you ancestor managed to defeat him."

"Yes! Undergrowth fears only two things. Fire and Ice. His regeneration powers cannot repair any damage done by either."

"Well, if I set fire to him, it will burn down a good chunk of the city and possibly hurt everyone that is currently trapped." Danny turned to Frostbite. "You seem to have a good handle on ice, any chance you can come with me to help?"

"I am unable to leave my post here." Frostbite put his furry hand on Danny's shoulder. "But I believe I have something that may help you."

Frostbite led Danny to a large spire made of solid ice. "My ancestor was severely wounded in his battle with Undergrowth. At Clockwork's suggestion, he contained all of his power and experience into a single crystal shard." They walked into the spire and before Danny, was a blue crystal floating just above his head. "If you shatter the crystal, you will gain all of his power and experience."

"I can control ice?"

"Not exactly, but you can create it and shape it to your will." Frostbite held out his left arm made of ice. "This is an example of what you can do with enough mastery of the craft. The crystal doesn't contain memories, just the experience. With practice, you will master techniques in days that took my ancestor decades to perfect."

"Sounds too easy."

"There is a risk involved. As a half-ghost, your potential is nearly limitless. Given time, you could master a verity of ghostly powers, even those unique to specific ghosts. But if you do this, there is a chance that you will never be able to learn any other ability. The ones you have now and your powers to use pure ghostly energy will still grow, but you would never be able to control any of the other elements or other unique abilities."

Danny looked up at the crystal. "I can't help but think this is what Clockwork wanted. The timing of everything is just too perfect." He reached up and pulled the crystal down. "I need to save everyone and it worth any risk."

The crystal began to crack and showered Danny in a rich verity of blue light. Frostbite had to shield his eyes and run out of the spire as it intensified. The spire shattered and the ice collapsed. Frostbite and some of his people moved in and tried to remove the ice shards, but a perfect sphere of ice shot out of the rubble and landed behind them. The sphere turned to snow and blew away, revealing Danny Phantom, who was rubbing his hands together.

"That was cold." He sneezed and a pair of ice sickles shot out of his nose. "That's new!"

"Well done, your body has accepted the power. It will just take some time for you to get use to it."

"Time I don't have. Point in the direction I need to go! I need to stop Undergrowth."

Frostbite put two fingers in his mouth and let out a loud whistle. The entire tribe moved and encircled Danny. "Our magic may be low, but all of us should be able to open you a portal home. I cannot guarantee where you will end up, but it should be within the city limits."

"That will be perfect and thanks."

"It was my pleasure." He reached into a small bag on his belt and pulled out a blue stone. "Take this!" He tossed it Danny. "This will allow you to find this place. The seed of Undergrowth cannot be destroyed, but if you bring it back here, it will never again cause trouble."

"Right." A pocket appeared on Danny's jumpsuit and he dropped the stone into it. "Plus I want to hear the rest of the story about the guardians and the half-ghost."

"I will be glad to tell it."

The tribe held hands and began to sway as they chanted. A green vortex slowly opened up and Danny could feel warm air coming from it. He flew through it and the vortex vanished.

* * *

Danny appeared in downtown Amity Park and it appeared it was nighttime. There were no electric lights on anywhere that he could tell, but each of the red flower bulbs glowed with a creepy red light. "Great! I leave winter wonderland and now I am in The Invasion of the Pod People remake." There were few clouds, so at least the moon made seeing manageable. To his surprise, he couldn't see Undergrowth anywhere. "Now where did that giant weed get to?"

With no other option, he started to fly around looking for any sign of Undergrowth or those who were still free of the bulbs. He flew over the park and floated over the spot where the plant ghost had originally sprouted. Aside for the large number of bulbs, nothing looked out of the ordinary. Even the ground he had burst from looked undisturbed. "I wonder if I can find Tucker." Danny landed and walked over one of the bulbs. He held out his hand and ice began to form in it. It took the shape of a small knife. "Cool!" Danny realized the bad pun, but he was alone so it was forgivable.

As he started to cut into the bulb, a large plant exploded out of the ground near him. It looked like a huge Venus flytrap. It opened and revealed a red rose. The petals open and Sam slowly stepped out of it. "Sam?" Both the knife and Danny's jaw dropped to the ground

The Goth girl was now dressed in a green body suit that seemed to be made out of leaves. Her hair was now past her shoulders with flowers woven into the strands. A small crown of branches and roots adorned her head and small vines were wrapped around her body. Sam's eyes shined a dim purple as she casually walked up to Danny. She had a smell of lilac about her.

"Hello Danny." She gently put her hand on his jaw and closed his still open mouth. "I was wondering when you would come back. I was getting worried you had abandoned me."

Danny's ability to form words had somehow been forgotten, all he could do was stutter a bit.

Sam placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned up to kiss him. "Everything will be alright from now on."

Before she could kiss him, a loud guitar riff issues and one of the flower bulbs exploded. Danny was knocked out of his stupor as both he and Sam looked at source of the sound. Ember Mclain stepped out of the destroyed blub. She was covered in a green sticky substance. "Its official that was the grossest thing I have ever experienced." She smiled at the two. "Did I interrupt something?"


	55. Plants vs Ghosts

Back at Plasmus's hidden base, Plasmus banged his fist on the one of the control boards. "Why are all the feeds from Amity Park still out?" He turned to Technus. "It has been out for almost a week."

"I've been trying to finish the repairs to the rest of the base. That ecto energy really gummed up the electronics."

Plasmus was annoyed, but knew that the ghost technology was right. He was starting to regret letting both Red and him off so easily. He glanced over to Eyevar who hadn't done much but sulk around. "Eyevar! Send one of your eyes through the portal and scout around."

"I've already lost three of them. Do you have any idea how long it takes to recreate one?"

"No!" Plasmus's hand began to glow with violet energy. "But I can't imagine it taking longer than if you had to replace all of your remaining ones."

Eyevar gave a quick bow. "You make a good argument." His body separated and the hundred eyes save the main large one and one smaller one flew out of the room.

The main eye positioned itself in front of the throne as Plasmus sat down. The small eye followed Technus down the entrance hall to the portal. Plasmus watched as the images began to appear on main eye. He was horrified at what he saw. "RED!"

His advisor flew up to him as fast as he could. "Yes my lord."

"What is going on in my city?"

Red watched the scene that the smaller eye was sending. "Stop!" A large plant like creature was attacking the Fenton Home. A green dome shield was protecting it, but it flickered as the creature hit it. "Undergrowth!"

"You know what that thing is?"

Red turned to Plasmus. "Legends only, I am afraid. He was said to be a demigod of nature. He tried to turn the entire Ghost Zone into one giant forest long ago. He was defeated before he could succeed and was imprisoned." Red glanced back at Eyevar's main eye. "Guess he was imprisoned on Earth."

"So what could have woken him up after all this time?"

"I have no idea. But I remember that only intense flame or cold could harm him."

Plasmus scratched his chin and waved for Eyevar to continue to look around the city. "If we use fire, the city will go up with him. One of my companies is working with liquid nitrogen. That should be sufficient to freeze him. Any chance he can be swayed to join me?"

Red shook his head. "His mind is in a league of its own. I would never be able to dominate it."

"Well, no great loss." An alarm sounded throughout the base. It sounded like an intense ringing of bells. "What is that blasted sound?" The sprinklers in the ceiling switched on and began pouring water on top of them.

"It seems to be the fire alarm, my lord!"

"So it would seem!" Plasmus jumped to his feet and stomped towards the entrance hall. Red and Eyevar followed close behind. Plasmus blasted the doors open with his ghost beams. Smoke filled the hall and the portal at the other end was sparking as water hit it. Technus was lying on the floor, his clothing singed. "What happened?"

* * *

"Did I interrupt something?" Ember drummed her fingers on the neck of her guitar. "Because I can leave if you two need some alone time."

The purple light in Sam's eyes began to glow brighter. "How did you escape?"

"Half ghost! You need to knock out both minds to keep us down."

Small vines began to grow out of the ground around Ember. Sam stepped towards her. "I can manage that!"

The vines shot at Ember, but the rocker flew into the air to avoid them. "Not going to be that easy this time."

She pointed her guitar at Sam. She ran her fingers across the strings at high speeds and a concentrated red bolt of energy shot from it and slammed into Sam before she had time to move. The bolt exploded on impact and sent her flying. Sam crashed into one of the flower bulbs and it fell apart.

Ember landed on the ground. "I probably should have mentioned my powers may have grown since we last met."

Danny shook his head to focus. "What happened?"

"You acted like any teenage boy." Ember adjusted a knob on her guitar. "You saw a pretty girl and turned stupid."

"Right!" Danny watched Sam pull herself out of the remains of the bulb. "Where have you been?"

"I can jump between Amber and Zack's minds. Amber was safe at the time and Zack needed me."

"What do you mean?"

"Red was giving him the treatment that had been reserved for you. A complete memory rewrite."

Danny turned back towards her. "You're kidding."

"Nope! Whoever he is working for, wants you on his side in a bad way. Never mentioned a name during the sessions, but he did go on and on about this lord of his. Any idea who he was talking about?"

"Yeah, name is Plasmus. He is trying to become king of both this world and the Ghost Zone."

"Well, now I know the name of the competition."

"Competition?"

Before Ember could respond, several yellow flowers burst from the ground. They petals were closed and the flowers were about the size of a basketball. The stems bent and pointed the top of the closed flowers at them. The petals opened and revealed each flower carried several barbs that seemed to be coated in a purple substance. The flowers began firing the barbs like they were cannons. Both half ghosts took to the air and dodged the barrage of barbs.

Sam stood up and held her arms out. Vines that were wrapped around them slithered and grew and plunged into the ground. The giant Venus flytrap that Sam had appeared out of, rose up and snapped closed on the pair. "Sorry, but you will soon thank me."

The flytrap shook and ice quickly formed around it. Danny punched a hole through the now frozen plant and both he and Ember flew out.

Sam gave him a curious look as he stepped out of the broken vines. "You have learned a new trick."

"A couple of tricks actually."

"They will be of great use to my father." The vines from Sam seemed to pulse as they dug deeper while still being connected to her. A pair of nearby trees doubled in size and they twisted and snapped until they looked like giant wooden hands.

A ball of green energy formed in-between Danny's hands. "I'm never going to eat another vegetable after this." A beam of energy fired from the ball and tore through the center of one of the tree hands.

"Why not?" Ember dodged a grab attempt from the other tree hand. "The vegetable had to die in order for you to eat it." Ember played a loud cord and a red shockwave issued from her guitar. The bark of the tree hand shattered and its fingers snapped off. "And I am all for killing plants right now."

More yellow flowers grew out of the ground and sent a volley of barbs skyward at them. Danny flew next to Ember and formed a ball of solid ice around them. Many of the barbs impacted the ball and a few came close to hitting the two. The ball fell to the ground and shattered. The two half ghosts were standing in the center of the shattered ice.

Ember rubbed her bare arms as fast she could. "Warn a girl before encasing her in ice!"

Danny kicked one of the fallen barbs. "And you would prefer being hit with one of these and put back in a bulb?"

She sneezed. "Almost!" The yellow flowers shook violently and grew more barbs. "Not again!"

"Please give up." Sam's glowing eyes softened slightly. "The more you struggle, the greater the chance I might actually hurt you."

"You had flowers lob razor sharp barbs, coated with poison, at us. How would that not be painful?"

Danny took a careful step towards Sam. "Sam, this is getting out of hand. You're too smart and strong willed to let Undergrowth control you."

"Father wants you destroyed, I want you with me." The vines around Sam's right arm loosened and she reached out to him. "Please, let me save you."

"Sam?" Danny began to walk to her.

The area suddenly lit up fire rained down from the sky. The flames quickly consumed all the plant life around them and Sam screamed out as if she was being burned. Danny ran to her, but a pair of vines shot out of the ground and slammed him back. The flames died off as a figure landed next to the Ember. He was dressed all in black with a red metal belt and vest with an attached hood that covering his eyes. Red boots and metal bracers completed the look.

Ember gave him an annoyed look. "What took you so long?"

"You were very particular about my look. It took me awhile to find everything you asked for."

Ember sighed and gave him a quick look over. "I guess the wait was worth it."

Danny stood up and surveyed the carnage. Most of the ground was scorched and the plants had been reduced to ash. He looked at Ember and her new acquaintance. "Who is that?"

"After Red finished his memory rewrites, I made a few alterations." She stepped around him. "After what happened at the music hall, I realized that a good singer is only as good as her backup band. Amber will have a boyfriend who will never betray her and I have my backup." She motioned to the area around them. "I've named him Burn. Lives up to his namesake."

Danny glanced towards Sam. She was sitting on the ground and was mumbling something about plants and fire. "Manipulating people's minds is wrong. Look at what it has done to Sam!" He turned back to Ember. "How can you even justify doing this to Zack?"

"Hey!" Ember glared at him. "Ghost names only or we might slip up and start calling you Fenton." She smiled at the shock on Danny's face. "Yes, dipstick. I know who you really are." She patted Burn on the shoulder. "Go find that giant weed and torch him."

"Yes, Ember!" Fire swirled around him and Burn shot into the sky.

Danny ran and grabbed Ember's arm. "Are you crazy? If he sets Undergrowth on fire, it will burn down half this city and kill who knows how many people."

Ember pulled free and slapped him across the face. "Don't lay a hand on me again." She readied her guitar. "As for what will happen, I am counting on it. The survivors will be easy prey for my music and I will have this city rebuilt my way."

"You've lost it!"

"Danny?" Sam's voice was weak.

Danny rushed to her. "Sam?"

"Stop him! I deal with Ember." Danny was beyond confused, but he had no choice at the moment. He took off and gave pursuit. Grass began to force it way out of the burnt grown as Sam stood up. "I figure your brainwashed boyfriend will turn around if he senses you're in danger."

Ember simply shrugged. "I wonder if yours will do the same. Let's find out!"

From the bulb remains that Sam had crashed into, Tucker yawned and sat up. "Did I miss something?"


	56. Clash of the Elements

Danny followed Burn high above Amity Park as the later tried to spot Undergrowth. Before Danny could reach him, he seemingly spotted the plant ghost and shot back towards the city. Flames had engulfed his body and he looked like a falling comet. Danny paused in midair and spotted Undergrowth. The ghost was still around five hundred feet tall and seemed to be laughing. Danny gathered up his energy and shot downward. Despite his best efforts, Burn easily outpaced him. As he got closer, Danny recognized the building behind Undergrowth as his own. It was covered in vines and a cluster of those red flower bulbs were on the roof. With new found determination Danny picked up the pace.

Undergrowth's back was turned towards them, but he turned time for Burn to fly through the center of his chest. He phased through it, but left a trail of fire along his flight path. Undergrowth cried out as the flames quickly spread from the inside out. The plant ghost crashed into the building across the street from Danny's and grabbed an old water tower on its roof. He held it up over his chest and crushed it. The water was stagnate and smelled bad, but it put out the fire. Undergrowth leaned against the building, as if recovering from the fire. Burn seemed to be moving to make another pass. Danny quickly blocked his path.

"That enough! I can stop him without setting fire to half the city. You …" Danny was cut off as Burn landed a punch to his gut. The blow seemed to cause Danny's whole body to vibrate and he started to fall. He barely had time blink when Burn's foot crashed into his chest. Danny fell from the sky and he just managed to slow himself as he crashed onto a roof. He coughed as he tried to get up. "Damn, never been hit that hard before."

Burn shot towards him. Danny cringed and moved his arms up to block. He waited for what seemed like forever before dropping his arms. He yelled as Burn's fist was frozen just a few feet from his face. He looked around and found everything had stopped moving, like time had stopped. Danny tried to move, but only his head seemed immune to whatever had frozen time. Jack Sparrow was sitting nearby, the pirate waved and took a long swig from the bottle in his hand.

"Hi Danny!"

"Jack?"

"Excuse me?" Jack cupped his hand around his ear. "What did you call me?"

"Captain Sparrow, what is going on?"

"I saw a wonderful learning opportunity and those nosy guys with the giant eye heads are currently looking elsewhere." Jack stood up and walked over. "But my time is short. Their gaze will return here soon and I will not be able to help you."

"Why can't I move my body?"

"Sorry mate, can't risk making my interference obvious." Jack eyes narrowed as he examined Burn. "So this is what Red was working on. Not bad work."

"Not bad! He is creaming me."

"Only where the mind is concerned." Jack drew his sword and used the tip to push away some of the fire swirling around Burn's body. "Notice something?"

Danny had to squint to see past the light the fire was giving off. "He is semi-transparent!"

"You see, when you're intangible, you get to ignore annoying things like gravity and air resistance."

"So that why he was moving so fast and hitting me so hard. He must have been solidifying just before each blow."

"Which insures maximum striking power." Jack paced around the pair. "It is a trick you can do, but be careful, fire will burn just as bad if your intangible or not." He slid his sword back into place. "Red has insured that Burn was mentally ready, but that is only half the equation. Remember, half ghost benefit from two things."

"We have a real body." Danny nodded his head. "I am more use to the transformation and should be able to outlast him."

Jack patted Danny's head. "Very good! Plus, his human half was injured and he is using his ghost form to make up for it, which should be an even bigger strain." He checked his watch. "My window is closing I'm afraid." Jack stepped clear. "I am still rooting for you." He vanished as time started again.

Even with him bracing for the blow, Danny fully felt the blow from Burn's fist. Burn grabbed the collar of his jumpsuit, yanked him into the air and flung him over the edge. Before Danny fell out of sight, Burn fired a concentrated orb of fire at him. Danny managed to throw up an energy barrier as the orb exploded. The force of the explosion blasted Danny towards the street below. He just managed to pull up before hitting the pavement.

"My turn!"

Danny went intangible and flew through the building. He appeared behind Burn and charged towards him, with fist ready. He misjudged his new found speed and flew through Burn before solidifying. Danny cursed as he crashed into an air conditioning unit. Danny felt a sudden heat on his back and jumped clear as a line of flame shot through the air he had been standing. He dropped to the ground and held out his right hand towards Burn. A blue swirl of blue light shot from his hand and hit Burn in the left shoulder. Ice instantly formed and covered the shoulder and much of his upper arm.

"So, my ice is faster than your flame." Danny stood up. "I have the power to defeat Undergrowth without burning the city down. You don't need to do this."

Burn pushed his hood back with his free arm. His hair moved like short blue flames and his eyes glowed green. "Ember has commanded that the weed burn and I must obey." Burn grabbed his iced shoulder and flames erupted from his hand. The ice started to melt and he ripped it free of his shoulder.

A shadow covered them and both looked up to see a very angry looking Undergrowth towering above them. "Have you meat-things forgotten about me?"

Danny gulped slightly. "A little bit!"

Undergrowth raised his large fist and slammed it down on the roof of the building they were standing on. The roof and the top three floors of the building caved in under the blow. Both half ghosts took to the sky. Burn went intangible and became engulfed in fire, he shot towards Undergrowth. Undergrowth growled and went intangible as well. "Do you think I would be stupid enough to fall for the same trick twice?" He backhanded Burn with such force, that he was sent flying through several tall buildings. Luckily for him, he managed to keep intangible. Small bits of fire were on his hand. Undergrowth smacked his hand against another building until the fires were out. "Now for …" Undergrowth turned to face Danny, but was welcomed by his face being covered in cold ice.

Snow and wisps of steam issued from Danny's hands as he flew back to avoid the plant ghost's attempts to hit him while blind. He fired another beam of cold that froze part of Undergrowth's chest. "Did you forget about me?" Danny started to laugh until one of Undergrowth's arms smashed into the Fenton building. "Got to lead him somewhere safer to fight." Danny waited until Undergrowth managed to rip the ice off of his face. The plants that made up his face had blacked do to contact with the ice. Danny stuck out his tongue. "Bet you can't catch me!" Danny flew off towards the edge of town.

"Insolent child!" The ground cracked as the roots underground that supported Undergrowth moved to allow the plant ghost to pursue.

Danny had barely managed to get a few blocks before Burn's foot rammed into his chest. Danny fell back and crashed into Undergrowth's chest. Vines grew out of Undergrowth's body and quickly began to bind Danny. Burn held his palms out a large fireball formed in front of him. When it grew to be about his size, it shot at both Undergrowth and Danny. Undergrowth growled and smacked a large billboard off of a building. The fireball hit the billboard and exploded harmlessly against it. A large number of thorns grew out of Undergrowth's shoulder and fired at Burn in a huge volley. The half ghost quickly dropped out of the sky and the volley sailed over him. Where ever the thorns hit, a strong acid dripped from them and bubbled on contact.

Burn gulped slightly as a part of a wall dissolved to liquid. "Upping the ante I see." He slammed his fists together and fire exploded from them. "I can get more intense as well." He charged back into the sky.

Danny saw him coming and tightened his hands around some of the vines. Ice formed from his hands and quickly grew over the vines trying to bind him. The frozen vines shattered as he pulled free and flew away from Undergrowth. Twin lines of flame shot from Burn's hands and were aimed at the plant ghost. Danny flew in front of them and fired a pair of beams of intense cold. The fire and cold impacted and steam issued from the two points of contact. Both half ghosts poured on the power as they flew towards each other. They stopped their attacks as the got within punching range. Before they could start hitting each other, Undergrowth let out a loud yell and black orbs began to poke out all around his body.

Burn's eyes narrowed."What is that thing doing?"

Danny shrugged. "Can't be anything good."

The orbs exploded and a large plant appeared out of each orb. They had Venus Flytrap like parts for their mouths, a long serpent-like root body, and two very large leaves that looked like wings. The leaves flapped and the plant creatures took flight. Both half ghosts looked at each other and then charged into the flock of flying plants. Danny fired ghost beams at the plants, but found them ineffective. The beams simply left small scorch marks and didn't slow them down. Burn charged right into the middle of them as fire spun around his body. The fire quickly spread around the surrounding plants and they fell from the sky as their wings burned.

"Not again!"

Danny shot downward and landed on the street. The falling plants splattered as they hit the pavement. Some of the flaming parts fell onto some of the trees that had been planted along the street and they started to burn. Danny spotted four fire hydrants in his sight range and blasted their tops open. Water surged forth from them and soaked everything around them. A few more flying plants fell from the sky; luckily they dropped like rocks when their wings were destroyed. Their burning bodies were quickly put out as they hit. Danny took flight and return to the flock of flying plants. Throwing out beams of pure cold, he froze the wings of a few nearby plants and they fell towards the ground. Between the two half ghosts, the flying plants didn't last long. After the last one dropped out of sight, Danny looked around for Undergrowth. Somehow, the giant ghost had managed to vanish.

"Where did he go?" He turned to ask Burn, but was welcomed with a spinning kick to his head. As Danny was recovering from the blow, Burn tackled him and dragged them both to the street. Danny clasped his fist together and slammed into Burn's back. Burn's grip on him loosened and Danny managed to kick away from Burn before they hit the street. Both landed on the water logged street. Danny looked around. "I'm not sure why you're being so difficult about this, but if you want to beat me," The water around Danny began to freeze. "you brought me to the wrong place."

Danny held out his hand and water from one of the hydrants began to swirl around his body and a large ice sickle formed in front of his open hand. It shot forward like a bullet from a gun. Burn just barely managed to avoid it. The ice sickly smashed through the side of a car at the end of the street and nearly went through it. Danny held out his other hand and ice sickles began to form and fire at high speeds. Burn went intangible and flew straight at Danny, ignoring the ice sickles as the passed through his body. Just as he crossed the halfway point between them, he suddenly slowed and stumbled as he landed. Steam issued from his mouth as he took deep labored breaths.

Danny managed a small laugh and dropped his hands. "You seemed so fond of going intangible, so I figured you would try that. The ice may not have hurt you, but I bet the freezing cold around them did."

"You're not as clueless as I was meant to believe." Fire swirled around him and all the water near him instantly turned to steam. "But I am the last person you could possibly beat with a bit of cold air." Burn closed his eyes and held his palms out. A sudden burst of bright flame went off and temporally blinded Danny. Burn quickly ran the distance between them and landed a strong punch across Danny's face.

The air snapped and crackled as ice crystals exploded against the swirling flames as the two half ghosts fought. With their elemental powers canceling each other out, the two were left with fists. Danny tried hard to remember all the fighting techniques that Jack had taught him, but found it harder to use them in an actual fight. Burn blocked a punch and smashed his forearm into Danny's chest several times before flinging him to the ground.

Danny coughed several time and pushed himself up onto his knees. "I'm getting the idea you're doing this not just because Ember told you."

"Ember didn't tell me a thing about dealing with you." Burn bent his knees so he was at eye level with Danny. "Almost all of my memories have been rewritten because of you. I can't remember my parents, how to play the base, nothing beyond years of relentless training. All of this, just so Red could practice for when you would be rewritten to be Plasmus's perfect servant." Fire began to form around him. "I suffered because of you and I plan on paying you back."

"Lucky me!" Burn tried to give him a swift kick to the chin. Danny rolled clear of the blow and got to his feet. "But I won't let you destroy the city."

As the two started to move to fight again, the ground rumbled and all the trees around them began to swell as if filling up with water. They exploded and several large man-sized seeds flew out of them. The seeds ripped open and mini-versions of Undergrowth stepped out of them. They numbered nearly twenty in all and stood nearly eight feet tall. Instead of hands, they had sharp looking leaves. As if to prove a point, one of them sliced into a lamp post with one of the leaves as if it was paper. The mini-Undergrowths laughed as the lamp post fell.

Danny sighed. "We really have to stop forgetting about that guy."

The twenty mini-Undergrowths attacked. Water from the street rose up and froze into the shape of a large sword. Danny gripped the sword and sliced into the first one that got close. Burn launched a fireball that knocked one off of its feet and he met another with his fire enclosed fists. These creatures were far sturdier than the previous ones and Danny's sword shattered after cutting down just two of them. Burn's fire was being inhibited by all the water still being spewed from the broken fire hydrants. All the plant creatures had to do was fall into the water filled streets to put out the flames that hit them.

Danny glanced down and had an idea. "Jump!" Danny dropped to his knees and slammed his fists into the street. Burn jumped in time for a wave of cold ripped through the water and froze all the water around them. The ice even formed over the hydrants and the water stopped flowing. From the waist down, the mini-Undergrowths were frozen in place.

Before Danny could stand, Burn yelled. "Duck!" He slammed his fists together and a shockwave of flames issued from his body. It impacted all of the plant creatures and they burst into flames. By the time Danny stood up, the flames had reduced the top half of the creatures to ash.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you. I know someone who could return your proper memories to you. Just stand aside and let me defeat Undergrowth without burning down the city."

Before Burn could answer, Undergrowth burst out of the street and loomed over them at full height. "I grow tired of playing with you meat-things." He opened his beak-like mouth and a stream of purple spores blew out of it. Burn summoned a dome of fire around himself and Danny a dome of cold. The spores turned to ash against the flames and to ice against the cold. Anything else they touched, it began to corrode. The spores came fast and dense, neither half ghost could drop their defense to move or attack. The assault of spores was interrupted by cylinder shaped vehicle flying overhead and firing laser beams at Undergrowth. The plant ghost stopped breathing spores to look up as the vehicle flew over his head.

Danny recognized the vehicle. "The Spector Speeder!"

"Alright Plant-Thing!" Jazz's voice issued from a speaker on the bottom of the speeder. "Let's see you withstand this!" A pair of cargo doors opened underneath the speeder. Gallons of a brownish liquid poured out and soaked Undergrowth.

The plant ghost rubbed some of the liquid in-between his fingers. He let out a mighty laugh. "Weed-Killer! You stupid meat-things thought I could be beaten by this!" He reached out and grabbed the speeder out of the sky. "Just when I tire of your petty attempts to defeat me, you come up with another ridiculous plan."

"Not so ridiculous!"

A small fireball formed in Burn's hand. He threw it like a baseball and it hit Undergrowth. The weed-killer quickly fuelled the fire and it spread across the plant ghost's body. Undergrowth cried out and crashed into a building as the fire followed the dripping weed-killer deep into his body. He clenched his fists and crushed the speeder still in his grasp.

"JAZZ!" Undergrowth hand broke off of his arm and crashed to the ground, still clutching the crushed speeder. Part of the speeder exploded. Danny's legs caved and he dropped to his hands and knees. "Jazz!" Both of his eyes began to glow green and small wisps of green smoke issued from them. "I'LL KILL YOU!

Danny charged through the air at incredible speed and began a vicious assault on Burn. Cold moist air swirled around Danny, negating much of Burn's flames. Danny's punches were swift and powerful and Burn could barely block any of them. Ice crystals formed on Danny's fists each time he brought it back and shattered upon impact with Burn's body. Burn managed to grab Danny's wrists, but Danny gripped his and ice began to from around Burn's arms. The glow in Danny's eyes intensified as small sparks of green energy began to issue from his body.

* * *

Back in the park, Ember weaved through a volley of thrones and responded with a shock wave of energy from her guitar. The shockwave ripped through the ground and Sam barely jumped clear. The charred ground that Burn had left made it difficult for Sam to summon many plants to fight with. Ember landed and readied herself for another attack, but Sam suddenly stopped and started to scream. The plants around seemed to quiver in pain and many withered and died. Sam turned and ran towards the city.

Ember scratched her head. "That was different." Her eyes flashed green and she sighed. "Looks like my backup got into some trouble. Boys are such a pain sometimes." A ring of blue energy appeared around her feet and rose up over her head. She turned back into Amber, who dropped to the ground out cold.

Tucker, who had been hiding followed Sam into the city.

* * *

Danny's and Burn's clasped hands and got into a power shoving match. Ice was forming around Danny's feet as he was slowly pushing Burn down to a knee. Suddenly, Burn's eyes glowed a deep green that matched Danny's eyes and he rose to his feet. The fire around Burn's body intensified as the two reached a stalemate. Fire raged behind Burn, while everything behind Danny started to ice over. The two stood like this for over a minute before Danny's grip slacked slightly and Burn took advantage. Burn pulled Danny's arm down and Danny's chin met his knee. Burn released his grip and jumped up slightly to deliver a powerful punch to Danny's jaw. Danny slumped to the ground. Around them, half the street was scorched and the other half frozen.

"That was harder than I thought it would be." Burn looked at his hands; his ghost form was giving out. He clenched his fists and concentrated to keep his ghost form. "Too close!"

"_You're just lucky I was able to get back to you in time"_ Ember's voice resonated in his mind.

"Right!" Burn looked up at the burning form of Undergrowth. The plant ghost was slumped against a pair of buildings and the fire was quickly beginning to spread. "Happy!"

Ember chuckled. _"Very."_

"Good!" Burn pulled his hood over his head and started to walk away.

Danny tried to push himself up, but couldn't find the strength. "Damn it!"

"_Pathetic"_ A transparent image of Dan appeared over Danny. He had his arms crossed and an annoyed look on his face. _"You almost had me believing you had what it took, but then this."_

"Jazz! Danny managed to roll onto his stomach. "He killed her."

"_Both you and I know you can't do what needs to be done."_ The image of Dan knelt down next to Danny. _"But I can. Let me out and I will avenge both you and your sister."_

Danny looked at the shrinking form of Burn as he walked away. "Take him!"

Dan smiled and started to laugh. _"Consider it done!"_ His image vanished.

Dark green energy enveloped Danny's body and his jumpsuit inverted colors. Dan stood up and cracked his neck. He went intangible and shot at Burn at high speed. Burn spun around and tried to punch him. Dan went through him and landed on the street behind Burn. He shoved his still intangible fingers into Burn's back. Burn cried out as his body quickly became encased in ice.

Dan chuckled and pulled his fingers out of Burn's frozen back. "Now that is how you use intangibility." He shook some frost off of his fingers. "Nice ice powers." He glanced up at the burning wreckage of the buildings and Undergrowth. "Guess I better stop that or I'll never hear the end of it.

Dan flew into the air as ice began to form around him. He shot at the burning form of Undergrowth. Ice continues to swirl around him and formed a solid crystal around his body and he dove into the burning Undergrowth. Undergrowth's body shook as it exploded and ice quickly encased the entire street block, extinguishing all the fires. Dan busted out of the ice and landed on the frozen street. He dropped to his knees and wiped some sweat from his forehead.

"Guess I over did it!" Dan took a few deep breaths. "I can't control your human form, so I guess I'll leave things to you for a while." Dan turned back into Danny Fenton.

Danny heard a crashing sound coming from the wreckage of the Fenton Speeder. A small piece of the hull fell away and a covered in green foam Jazz fell out of the speeder. Danny had forgotten about the safety foam Dad had installed. "She is alright!"

He hadn't time to call out to her because a vine quickly wrapped around his neck and yanked him to his feet. The vine was connected to a very angry looking Sam. Her eyes seemed to pierce right through him as a second vine wrapped appeared from her arm and joined the first in choking him. As he passed out, Plasmus appeared behind Sam and reached into her hair. He grasped something and pulled it off of her neck. It was a large pulsating seed. The plants on Sam instantly died and the girl passed out. Danny managed to catch a glimpse of Plasmus smiling before joining her on the street.

Plasmus waved and Technus appeared with a large glass cylinder in his hands. "How did you know Undergrowth's seed was there?"

"It was the only logical place after seeing this girl still under his control." Plasmus looked over the seed as some of its roots attempted to wrap around his hand. "So this is the mighty Undergrowth." He dropped the seed into the cylinder and Technus closed it. "Will that hold it?"

"I put it together quickly, but it should keep the seed cold enough to keep it from growing."

"Good!" He glanced upward as Red floated down. "What about the people?"

"The flower buds that Undergrowth trapped them in are starting to die off. They will be confused and weak for a while."

Plasmus nodded and looked at the carnage around him. "An opportunity has appeared and we must move quickly to make the most of it." He glanced down at Danny. "Soon I will have my apprentice and son."

"The girl?" Red motioned to Sam."

Plasmus scratched his goatee. "She comes from a good family and they already have feelings for one another. She will be a fine match for Danny after a few alterations to her personality."

"My Lord!" Skulker yelled from his spot next to the frozen form of Burn. With a small tap, the form shattered, showing it to be hollow. "The boy is gone."

Before Plasmus could answer, one of Eyevar's larger eyes floated next to him. "My Lord, I checked the park to look for the girl Skulker mentioned and found something strange." His eye shimmered and an image of a large broken container appeared in the eye. "I sensed strong ecto energy from this thing."

Technus raised his hand. "That looks a lot like the container I gave Skulker to clean up that ecto slime from the base."

Plasmus sneered at Skulker who simply smiled. Plasmus picked up Danny and Red picked up Sam. "I will deal with you later. As for the other two half ghosts, I have no need for failed experiments."

* * *

Hidden near the wreckage, Jazz wasn't seen by Plasmus or his minions. She started to get up to chase after them as they flew off with her brother and friend. Tucker tackled her down before she was spotted.

"Get off of me Tucker. They are taking Danny."

"I know, but we will need help if we are going to save them." Tucker helped her up. "We need to go see the pirate."

"The what?"


	57. Attempted Rescue

Dan eyes continued to scan his surroundings as he slowly walked through a very dark and twisted looking Amity Park. He remember passing out after he had extinguished the burning Undergrowth, but nothing after until he found himself standing in the middle of this version of Amity Park. A red bit of steam came from his mouth and he spun around and fired a red energy beam. The beam flew at a blue human ghost in a red suit and wide rimed hat. The ghost's red eyes shined as the beam went through him harmlessly.

"Red!" Dan sneered.

Red simply grinned. "I swear you half ghosts are troublesome. These duel personalities most of you half ghosts seem to possess makes my job that much harder."

"And what job is that?" Dan motioned a hand to his surroundings. "What brings you to my mind?"

"Plasmus wants young Daniel to be his loyal son and apprentice. So that means I nearly need to do a complete rewrite of his mind. I've learned my mistakes after dealing with Ember. That rouge personality ruined two of my attempts, but I believe the third time is the charm."

Dan cracked his knuckles. "I have a feeling this doesn't bode well for me."

"I plan on deleting you from this mind. You are far stronger than Daniel, but I believe you will be far harder to mold into my master's vision." Blue energy sparked from Red's hands. "Nothing personal."

Dan smirked. "You're welcome to try."

Red laughed. "Fool. I have been mastering the manipulation of minds for centuries." He nearly tripled in size. "I have reduced kings to mindless slaves, you will be no challenge."

"We'll see about that."

* * *

Tucker brought the electric scooter to a stop in front of the warehouse. He had found the vehicle abandoned in town with the key still in the ignition. He figured the owner would have other things to worry about for a while and grabbed it. Jazz had been reluctant to join him, but she was worried about her brother. So she hopped on to the back and held onto Tucker's waist. She knew Tucker was serious because he hadn't made one joke about a girl holding onto him. Tucker led Jazz into the warehouse through a side door and Jack was standing in the center of the space, as if waiting for him. He was in simple black pants and cotton shirt. Jack approached them and gave a polite bow towards Jazz.

"Ms. Jasmine, it is a pleasure to make to finally meet you." He gently lifted up her hand and gave it a quick kiss.

"Do I know you?" Jazz gave the man a very puzzled look.

Jack laughed and stepped away. "My apologize, perhaps you would recognize me better like this." A ring formed around his feet and quickly flew up and vanished after passing his head. He was now in his full pirate clothes and gear. "How about now?"

"Ah…" Jazz shrugged. "Blackbeard!"

"Blackbeard?" Jack sighed. "How could you mistake me for that grumpy old man with that badly trimmed face bush?"

"Jack!" Tucker started to talk, but Jack waved for him to be silent.

"A movie was based on my life, four in fact with a fifth one on the way*."

Jazz shrugged. "The only pirate movies I have ever seen starred that dreamy Orlando Bloom." Jazz grinned as she visualized him.

"Really?" Before he could go into an anti-Bloom rant, Tucker stepped forward.

"Captain Sparrow! Danny and Sam have been kidnapped by Plasmus and we need your help"

Jack nodded. "Yes of course, my deepest apologizes."

"We need to figure out where he took them."

"I think we can track their ghost portal." Jazz spoke up. "I saw a portal open and they flew through it."

"I though portals only opened in the same place where it is set up."

"I heard Dad talking about how a portal could be used to travel long distances through the Ghost Zone, but neither him nor mom had figured it out." Realization appeared on Jazz's face. "Mom and Dad! They were fighting that plant thing when I left to get that weed killer. I hope they are alright."

"Don't worry Jasmine." Jack walked over to a table with a bottle on it. "They were captured in those flower bulbs, but with the destruction of Undergrowth, they should be freed from them soon, a little groggy, but otherwise fine." He picked up the bottle and pulled out the cork. "Not even sure they will remember most of this incident."

"So how could we track their portal?" Tucker tried to keep the conversation on point.

Jazz scratched her head as she thought it over. "If we could figure out what spectral frequency they were using, we might be able to link the Fenton Portal to theirs. But it could take months to figure out which frequency was the right one."

Tucker glanced at Jack. "You wouldn't happen to know the frequency?"

"Now you know very well that I can't help you."

"But, Jack!"

"That is Captain Jack!" Jack drained the bottle in one gulp and slammed it on the table. "I have explained it to you on more than one occasion. I am powerless to help you." He pulled out an old gold pocket watch. "I would love to use my watch that can stop time to help you." He tossed the watch on the table, and pulled out a pair of silver very futuristic pistols from his overcoat. "And I wish I could just hand over these weapons from the future to you, but I am bound by a very complicated and very longwinded set of temporal rules that prevent me from doing so." He tossed the pistols on the floor. "And I hate myself for being so helpless." He turned away from the teens. "I am going to go where I cannot see or hear you and drown my sorrows." He walked towards the exit and left the warehouse.

Jazz glared at Tucker. "And that nutcase was supposed to help us."

Tucker walked over and picked up the bottle from the table. The label was faded beyond the ability to read and was peeling. He peeled it off and a set of ten numbers had been written on the back of the label.

"Are you listening to me, Tucker?"

The boy simply grinned and scooped up the watch. "Grab the pistols; we're going to save Danny."

* * *

Red entered Plasmus's throne room looking slightly disheveled and exhausted. Plasmus was looking a set of papers in one of his hands and held a pen in the other. His plans to capitalize on the Undergrowth incident would have to be carefully done for maximum gain. He glanced towards Red as his advisor stood before the throne and bowed slightly.

"Things progress at a slow, but study pace my lord."

"Is this Dan personality causing that much trouble for you?"

"No, he is simply putting up a good fight. Deleting a personality is much trickier than changing it. Despite the fact he is simply a second set of memories in the boy's mind; his will to live is no less intense as yours or mine. I've backed him into a corner and will finish him after I have rested."

"Very good!" Plasmus tapped his pen on the papers. "Soon my companies will descend on Amity Park and rescue the poor masses. They will worship me as their savior and that city will become the base for my new empire."

"Speaking of your empire, we must leave within the week."

"I have not forgotten!" Plasmus stood up. "As soon as I wrap up things here, we will go and I will realize my destiny."

While Plasmus and Red were talking, Penelope Spectra snuck through the shadows and quickly flew down the small hallway Red had walked out of and into the room holding the teens. Both Danny and Sam were laying on medical beds, hooked up to equipment that would keep them asleep and healthy while Red did his work. Her tongue ran across her fangs as she slowly approached Sam.

"After countless years and humiliations, I will have what I desire." She stood at the head of Sam's medical bed. "That fool Plasmus thought turning me into a ghost would make me less of a threat." She ran a finger across Sam's forehead. "I can now syphon the psychic energy directly, without waiting for my body to distil it from the blood. The powers of an oracle will free me from that pretender's control and I will rebuild my coven of vampires." As she bent down to begin the sound of someone whistling made her stand up straight as Technus walked in.

He stopped whistling. "What are you doing here?"

"Master Plasmus wanted me to check on the machines." She pretended to look at one of the readouts. "Looks normal. What are you doing here?"

Technus picked up a small metal tray from a table. It had a small assortment of items. "The children were wearing some weird items that Red wanted me to analyze." He picked up the bracelet that Sam had been wearing. "They seem ordinary, but I can detect some kind of unknown technology with in most of them."

Spectra walked over to him with a flirtatious look on her face. "Well, since we are both doing what we were told, there is no need to talk to Plasmus."

Technus pulled on the collar of his lab coat. "I suppose not." He took a step back as she closed the distance between them. He failed to notice that the sharp nails on Spectra's fingers were starting to grow.

Before she could strike, Red stepped into the room. "What is going on here?"

Spectra's nails retracted and she threw her arms around Technus's neck. "I'm sorry, we must have wondered in here by accident." She nuzzled Technus's neck. "Isn't that right."

Technus's face was redder than Red's suit. "Whatever you say."

Spectra giggled a bit and gave Technus a quick peck on the cheek. "We can continue another time." She walked out of the room. Technus stood, frozen in place with a weird look on his face.

Red sighed. "I don't care what you to do, but keep it away from my work. UNDERSTOOD?"

Technus snapped out of his stupor. "Yes sir!" He held up the tray of items. "I will go test these right away."

"That would be best!" Red simply shook his head as Technus quickly left the room.

* * *

Tucker and Jazz quickly checked the roof of the Fenton Building and found both Jack and Maddie Fenton lying on the roof, covered in green slime from the now wilted flower bulbs. Jazz wanted to take them inside, but neither of them could pick up Jack very well, so she settled with pulling them from the remains of the bulbs and covering them with blankets. Tucker headed for the lab while Jazz raided her parent's equipment. He punched in the sequence that he had found on Jack's bottle and it only took the computer a few minutes to lock onto the spectral frequency and the ghost portal hummed to life.

"So far so good!" Tucker ran a search on the connecting portal, but couldn't determine where the portal would let out. "Looks like we will be going in blind! I can't find out where the end of the portal is."

A large sliver pulse rifle landed on the console next to him. Jazz had changed to a black tank top and loose fitting pants. Her hair was tied back with a green headband with a set of silver goggles was on her forehead. A silver belt with a green buckle and various objects was strapped to her waist and she held a matching pulse rifle in her hands. "At least we go in prepared."

The portal at the end of Plasmus's entrance hallway activated as it linked with the Fenton Portal and the two teens appeared through it. Tucker held his stomach as it made several gurgling sounds. "Was it just me or did that ride feel weird?"

Jazz rubbed her eyes. "It was probably just extra rough because we passed through two connecting portals rather than just one. If that frequency that we were given had been off by only a bit, we might have lost a limb or something."

"Good to know!" An alarm suddenly blared and red lights replaced the regular ones. "I guess they know we are here."

The doors at the end of the hall burst open and four ghosts in football uniforms fly at them. Tucker took aim and fired. The kickback of the rifle knocked him off his feet and his shot missed the ghosts. Jazz slid the goggles down over her eyes and braced her legs as she opened fire. With the goggles helping her aim, each shot hit a ghost square on and sent them flying away from them. Before they could get up, Jazz pulled a Fenton Thermos from her belt and rolled forward and activated it. The ghosts were drawn in and trapped inside the thermos. Tucker stood up as Jazz screwed the lid onto the thermos.

"That was one of the hottest things I have ever seen."

Jazz managed a small grin. "Focus!"

The two ran into a large room which a throne sat on an altar in the center. It was empty at the moment. They spotted a door on each side of the room, giving them three options. Tucker looked around the walls. "Maybe there is a map." Skulker phased through the ceiling and landed in front of the throne.

Jazz took aim at him. "Let's just ask him."

"I'm impressed you managed to break into this place." A large cannon appeared on his left arm and a serrated blade appeared on his right. "That makes you both worthy of my wall."

"Do I want to know?"

Tucker shook his head. "Not really?" He backed against a wall to brace himself and opened fire. Jazz also began firing at Skulker.

The ghost hunter laughed as the beams dissipated against his energy shield. "Just surrender and I'll make this as painless as possible."

He charged at the pair and slashed at them with his arm blade. Tucker ducked under as Jazz jumped clear. The blade carved an impressive slash into the metal wall that had been behind them. Jazz tossed down her gun and pulled out two small metal rods from her belt. A blade of pure green energy appeared from each rod. She leapt at Skulker and swung with power and precision. The blades easily pierced the energy shield and one of them managed to cut into Skulker's armor. The hunter turned and blocked a pair of downward slashes with his arm blade. He pushed her back and took aim with his arm cannon. Jazz avoided the green bolt of energy that it fired.

Tucker took aim while lying down on the floor. All the blasts from his pulse rifle did was to gain the attention of Skulker again. A small panel on the ghost hunter's left should open and a large blaster slid out of his body and spun around on a turret. It fired at Tucker, and the teen had to roll clear. He lost his grip on the rifle and it was destroyed by the blaster. The boy had to scramble to his feet and run as the blaster continued to follow him and firing in his direction. Jazz spotted this and flung one of her energy swords at the blaster. It easily sliced it off of Skulker's shoulder.

Skulker laughed. "Now you're down to only one weapon."

Jazz grabbed another metal rod from her belt and flicked her wrist. A cable shot from the rod and exploded into a group of nine flailing cables with a metal image of Jack Fenton at the center of the central cable where the flailing ones come out. Skulker was entangled by the cables and a powerful electrical surge enveloped him from the rod.

"How do you like the Jack-O-Nine Tails?"

"An interesting toy." Skulker flexed his arms and the cables broke. "But you really should have used stronger materials." He lunged forward and grabbed Jazz's neck. The suddenness of the attack caused Jazz to drop her sword and the now broken Jack-O-Nine Tails. He casually tossed her across the room. "I am the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter. You children are little more than an annoyance to me."

Tucker ran over to Jazz and helped her up. "Are you alright?"

Jazz rubbed her sore neck. "Still breathing for now." She pulled out one of the pistols they had gotten from Jack Sparrow. "Let's hope these things are a powerful as that pirate let on." Tucker nodded and drew his.

Skulker chuckled and puffed out his metal chest. "You want to try that again? Then give it your best shot."

Both teens pulled their respective triggers. A red liquid fired from Jazz's pistol and covered Skulker with a brown sticky substance. The top of Tucker's pistol popped open and sprayed a purple mist into his face. Tucker grew drowsy and dropped to the floor, deep asleep. Jazz looked at her pistol with disbelief. "How was that helpful?"

Skulker took a few sniffs of the liquid he had been hit with. "Meat Sauce?" A loud growl issued from the down Tucker. "Oh no!"

Tucker suddenly transformed into his ghost werewolf form and lunged at Skulker at great speed. Before the ghost hunter could react, Tucker had torn into the chest of Skulker and was ripping out parts with his teeth and jaws. Jazz stood transfixed at the carnage of what she was seeing. Skulker's head separated from the body and flew away by phasing through the wall. Finished with the robotic body, Tucker stood up and looked at Jazz.

"Good boy!" Jazz held her hands up in a non-threating gesture. "It's me, Jazz, Danny's sister."

"What is going on here?" Plasmus storms into the throne room. He pauses as he sees Jazz. "Jasmine?"

"You know me?"

Plasmus started to speak, but was tackled to the ground by Tucker. Plasmus gripped the underside of his jaws to keep him from biting him. "I grow tired of this game with you, boy!" With his free hand, he fired a purple beam into Tucker's chest and it sent him crashing into the ceiling. As he falls back towards the floor, Plasmus floats clear and blasts him into a wall before he hits. Tucker slumps to the floor and turns back into his human form.

Jazz started to run towards him, but was grabbed by Red as he appeared behind her. He touched her forehead and she went limp as he planted a memory of being very sleepy in her mind. He looked around at the carnage in the room. "Any idea how they managed to get in here?"

"I plan on finding out soon."

Technus walked into the room, carrying Skulker's head under one arm. "Master, I think someone has…" He spotted the damage and the two teens. "It would seem like you already know."

"Obviously." Plasmus sighed and rubbed his forehead. "This couldn't have happened at a worst possible time. I am so close to my final ascension."

"What would you like me to do with the children? I don't have time to rewrite all of them."

"Just find out how they got here and then wipe out the past few days of their memories. I will think of a better solution later."

"Yes my lord! I will finish deleting Danny's other personality and then work on these two."

"Master?"

"What is it Technus?"

"If it is alright, I would like to take the boy to my lab until Red is ready for him. You wanted me to do a more detailed scan of his wolf form when we had a better chance."

"Very well. See if you can find a way to control him. An army of ghost werewolves sounds very appealing."

"At once my lord!"

"Hey" Skulker's head yelled. "What about me?"

Plasmus shrugged. "No rush!"


	58. A Series of Circumstances

"Tucker?"

"Five more minutes!" Tucker groaned as he heard some voice calling his name. He tried to roll away from the light shining in his eyes, but his body hit a set of metal bars. "What?" He slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. He was sitting in a steel cage in the middle of some kind of lab. He instantly snapped awake and grabbed the bars. "I'm too young to be a lab experiment. I can't run a maze; I barely do a lap around the gym." He looked down and saw he was dressed in green sweatpants and shirt with a hood. "What happened to my clothes?"

"They were all torn up so I dressed you in what I could find."

The boy turned his head and saw Technus standing next to the cell door that was wide open. "Did I miss something?"

"Sorry about the cage, but I needed to save face with the others."

Tucker cautiously stepped out of the cage and stood in front of the ghost of technology. "Are you helping me?"

Technus nodded and walked over to a large computer console. He pointed to a silver colored watch that had been plugged into the computer with dozens of tiny wires. "I found this watch on your friend Danny. When I examined it, it seemed to be made from an unknown advance technology." With a small wave of his hand, the computer hummed to life. "After I completed a small scan, I found a message hidden in a tiny memory chip inside the watch's casing."

"What kind of message?"

"The future!"

The screen brightened and an image of Technus's face appeared on the screen. Unlike the real one, the image was blocky as if extremely pixelated. "Technus!" The voice was scratchy and robotic. "When I found out this watch was going to find its way to a Danny Phantom from the past, I risked putting this message within it. Hoping it would find its way to you. I cannot risk reveling anything about the future without the powers that be intercepting this message. But I can tell you, that everything you have been told has been a lie. It was Plasmus that set off the ecto bomb that was responsible for your transformation into a ghost. And if you continue to along this path, this will be your ultimate fate. Little more than a ghost trapped in a machine." The image began to break apart. "I have no time left, but you do." The image faded and disappeared. The computer screen went dark.

Technus sighed. "I have been a fool." He looked at his hands as they went intangible and tangible. "I was a man of science, a molder of young minds, and I failed to realize that I was being used all this time. Look at me now! I am just a madman's puppet."

Tucker patted his shoulder. "Hey, you can't blame yourself for that. You got turned into a ghost; I bet that will confuse anyone. You should have seen Danny when he first turned into his ghost form."

"But all the evil things I have done."

"No one is blaming you." Tucker thought for a moment. "I would avoid Valerie for a while thou. You were the coolest teacher in school, you can be again. Heck, you might be cooler with all the ghost powers."

Technus managed a small smile. "Thank you!"

"So let's go rescue the others and bust out of here."

"Right!" Technus reached for his power staff, but snapped his fingers. "I just remembered." He picked up a small vile of reddish liquid. "This was around Sam's neck. In tiny print on the cork were the words, Drink Tucker."

Tucker took the vile and gave it a quick shake. "What is it?"

"The glass appears to be several centuries old; the ink used for the writing on the cork was used two hundred years ago in china; and the liquid has the consistency of blood."

"BLOOD! YOU WANT ME TO DRINK BLOOD?"

Technus had to cover his ears as the boy yelled. "I don't want you too. Someone two hundred years ago wants you too."

"Man, all this time travel is giving me a real headache." He held up the vile to the light and gulped slightly. "Well, I guess there would be no real harm in it."

"Other than the numerous diseases of that time period that may have survived in that blood."

"Thanks for the reassurance." Tucker pulled off the cork and took a quick sniff from the vile. "It smells like apples. Are you sure this is blood?"

Technus shrugged. "My tests confirm it to be blood. But I would need to do a thorough analysis to be certain of its type and origin."

"And we don't have time for that." He sighed and gulped the liquid down. He coughed several times and dropped to the floor. He twitched in pain for several moments before yelling out. "Beast Mode!" A ring of green light appeared around him and in a flash, he transformed into his werewolf form. His form had changed from his previously one. He was noticeably taller, standing closer to eight feet with streaks of white fur on his muzzle. His clothes had changed to fit his larger, more muscular frame and his eyes glowed with green light.

"Tucker?"

"Yes." His voice was noticeably deeper with a slight growl to it. He looked at his claws and smiled as they glowed with green energy as they grew in length. "I could get use to this."

"What happened?"

"That blood came from the very first werewolf that came into existence centuries ago. It interacted with the ghost wolf DNA that was in my system."

"How do you know that?"

"I haven't a clue." Tucker swiped at a wall with one of his claws and left a deep claw mark in the metal wall. "And right now, I don't care. Let's see what I can do in this body when I am in control."

Technus pocketed the items he had taken from the teens, grabbed his power staff, and as an afterthought, picked up the cylinder containing the Seed of Undergrowth. He thought it best not to leave it for Plasmus to mess with. "And I have a perfect distraction." He pressed a small button near the top of the staff.

"What did that do?"

"We are just lucky I attached Skulker's head to his old body before I woke you up."

* * *

Near the other side of the base, Skulker was busy trying to build himself a new hover bike to replace the one Johnny and his girlfriend had stolen. His eyes blinked red and he stood up. "What is going on?" All of his weapons suddenly switched on, along with his booster rockets. "I hate my life." He shot into the air, his weapons firing randomly.

* * *

Red's trance was broken as the alarms began to blare. He barely had time to question it when Tucker burst into the room and shoulder slammed him into a wall. Technus floated in and waved his staff. Power cables smashed through the wall and bound Red to it.

"When I free myself, I will rewrite both of you so you think your chickens." Electricity poured out of the cables and shocked Red unconscious.

"You can consider that my resignation."

Tucker looked at the machines that Danny, Sam, and Jazz were hooked into. "Do you know what all this is?"

"I designed it to keep them sedated while providing a steady stream of vitamins and other things to keep their bodies healthy. We can unhook them, but they will not awaken for several hours." He tapped the bottom of his staff on the floor. Many of the computers ripped themselves free of their mountings and began to form together in the center of the room. They reshaped themselves into a flat hovering platform of wires and glowing screens. "We can take them out on this."

"You are the coolest teacher I know."

Technus just smirked as he helped load the still sleeping teens onto the platform. "Hopefully, Skulker's rampage is keeping the others distracted enough to give us a clear path to the portal."

With Tucker leading the way and Technus pushing the platform, the pair made a mad dash down the hallway and into the throne room. Before they even passed the throne itself, five beams of pink energy impacted Tucker's chest and sent the ghost werewolf flying into a wall. He left an impressive dent in the metal wall when he hit. Eyevar's main eye and four bowling ball sized eyes floated in front of the exit doors.

"Going somewhere?"

Technus pointed his staff at Eyevar. "Let us pass or…" He was cut off as a wave of sound smashed into his side and sent him crashing into Tucker.

"My dear Technus." Plasmus stepped into view with The Banshee Blade in hand. "Any particular reason you're betraying me?"

"You set off that ecto bomb that destroyed the school and turned me into a ghost. You stole my life so I would serve you."

Plasmus simply shrugged. "Yes I did, but I fail to see why you are angry about it. I saved you from a boring life of teaching and gave you the grand position as my personal scientist." Technus yelled and charged at him. "Sad." Plasmus gave his sword a strong swing and a loud wail issued from it. The wail ripped into Technus, causing his staff to shatter and for him to crash into the wall. He slumped to the floor. "You're lucky you're too valuable to simply throw away."

"Monster!" Tucker roared and his claws doubled in size. He leapt into the air and landed on Plasmus before the ghost lord had the chance to bring his sword up. The claws on Tucker's feet didn't grow, but they were sharp enough to dig into Plasmus as Tucker stood on top of him. He brought his hands back to start ripping into him. He was shot off Plasmus by Eyevar. Several more eyes floated into the room and Tucker was soon surrounded by a dozen of Eyevar's floating eyes. They began firing ghost beams and Tucker was quickly brought down by the barrage of fire. The eyes stopped firing and floated clear as Tucker returned to his human form.

Plasmus knelt down next to Tucker as the teen tried to stand. "I am impressed you have managed to control you beast half. I look forward to finding out how you did it."

"Not today!" Tucker managed to roll across the floor and stopped next to Technus. He grabbed the pocket watch from his lab coat pocket. "You need a time out!" He pressed the button on the side of the watch. Everyone stayed still, but out of puzzlement rather than time stopping. Tucker pressed the button several more time and shook the watch. "Why won't this work?"

Plasmus sighed and snatched the watch out of his hands. "This is beginning to become sad." He looked over the watch and flung it to the floor. "It is nothing more than a cheap watch." The watch exploded and a bolt of multicolored energy shot from it remains. The bolt burst after flying only a few feet and left a thumb sized energy vortex. "What is that?"

A hand clasped his shoulder. "It appears to be a rip in the time space continuum."

Plasmus looked to towards the source of the voice and came face to face with Jack Sparrow. The pirate flashed Plasmus a grin. "Hello, mate, pleasure to meet you."

Plasmus spun around, but the pirate had vanished. "Where is he?"

"Good lumbar support and even a seat warmer." Jack was sitting on Plasmus's throne. "You certainly know how to make a good chair."

"I'll get him master!" Several of Eyevar's eyes took aim at Sparrow.

"No you fool!" Plasmus order was a second too late as Eyevar's eyes obliterate his throne with their eyebeams. All that was left was a pile of scored metal and burning wood.

"Oops!"

"I really like that chair." Plasmus rubbed his eyes.

"So did I!" Jack waved at them while leaning against a far wall. "Oh and I think you might have missed me."

"Eyevar!"

"Yes my lord!" All of Eyevar's eyes, save for the main one that stayed by Plasmus, surrounded the pirate in a semi-circle, barely an inch of space was between each eye. "You will not slip by me again." All they eyes fired their beams and nearly disintegrated the wall and part of the rock and dirt behind it. There wasn't a sign of Jack anywhere. "Got him!"

"Are you sure?" Jack's voice issued from behind Plasmus and Eyevar.

"HOW?" Eyevar's main eye spun around to glare at Jack. His answer came in the form of a small brown bag that impacted the dead center of the floating eye. It burst apart and covered the eye in a blackish powder. Eyevar howled in pain and all of his eyes began to fly around wildly. "It burns!" Eyevar's main eye smashed into the ceiling and floor as it blindly tried to relieve the burning.

"What was that stuff?" Plasmus stared in disbelief at Eyevar's behavior.

"Cajun Pepper." Jack chuckled as the eyes in the room quickly phased through the walls to try and find water for the main eye. "There are drawbacks to being a gain eyeball."

"Apparently!" Plasmus spun and swung his sword. Jack moved quicker and blocked the swing with his sword. "You will pay for all this."

"I'm a little short know, can I get back with you later?"

The sound of metal clanging together filled the throne room as the two clashed. The Banshee Blade could issue its wail with the simplest of motions, but its power was based on the force of the motion. Jack blocked each swing so barely a whisper issued from it. Tucker was torn between watching the battle and reviving the down Technus. Plasmus attempted a feint, but Jack countered and managed to knock the sword from his hand. With a kick that seemed to move at light speed, Jack kicked the blade so it slid across the floor and stopped in front of Tucker. Plasmus backed away from Jack's sword tip.

"I thought you couldn't interfere."

"I can if there is a temporal problem involved." Jack jerked his head in the direction of the temporal rift. "You caused a rift, so here I am."

"With a watch you no doubt provided the boy to create this absurd situation."

"Petty details." Jack sheathed his sword. "Now if you will excuse me, you are preventing me from doing my job." He started to walk towards the rift.

"No one turns their back to me." Plasmus's hands began to glow and he threw a bolt of energy at Jack.

Jack nimbly ducked the bolt and spun on his heels while drawing his single shot pistol. "Thanks!"

"For what?"

"Giving me a good excuse to do this." He fired the pistol. The metal ball it fired hit Plasmus in the chest and black tendrils of energy erupted from it. They wrapped around Plasmus and pulled him inside the small ball. The ball spared with black energy and dropped to the floor. Jack slipped the gun back into his coat. "Well, that was fun." He looked down at Tucker. "You've looked better."

"Did you plan all this?"

"Of course not! This is just a series of random happenings that just happen to work out in your favor." Jack wetted his two of his fingers with his tongue. He pinched the rift like one would pinch out a candle flame and it vanished. "Another job well done."

Technus moaned as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. "What happened?"

Tucker helped him to his feet. "I'm not sure."

Jack started to walk away, but his foot knocked into the fallen Banshee Blade. "That is a really good sword. One of the best I have ever seen." He drew his sword. "Now I am going to open a very unreliable portal that is supposed to close the moment I step through it, but it has a bad habit of staying open long enough for five people to go through." He swung his sword in a wide arch and cut a hole in the air. Through the hole, you could see the warehouse. "He took off his hat, gave a polite bow, and stepped through it.

"Let's go!" Tucker grabbed The Banshee Blade and both he and Technus pushed the floating platform through the hole which closed after they went through.

For several minutes, the throne room was quiet. Suddenly, black sparks issued from the metal ball and it exploded and Plasmus rose out of it to his full form. "I will kill that pirate if it is the last thing I do."


	59. Explanations

**Author's Note:** Before the next chapter begins, I just wanted to thank everyone who has enjoyed reading Ultimate Phantom. The reviews have been great and have made writing this an extra treat. So thanks again and I hope you continue to enjoy.

* * *

Danny felt like a large spike had been driven through his head as he slowly woke up. He was lying on a small twin sized bed that was in the middle of the warehouse. Sam and Jazz were sleeping on similar beds nearby. Danny swung his feet over the side of the bed and stood up. A wave of dizziness flowed over him and he sat down.

"Easy there!" Tucker appeared with a cup of water in his hand. "You've been out for almost an entire day."

"What happened? I remember fighting Undergrowth, that fire guy, and DAN!" Danny managed to regain the ability to stand. "Red was trying to rewrite my memories. Dan tried to stop him and..." Danny sat back down. "Red deleted him! He is gone."

Tucker sat next to him. "Is that really a bad thing? He tried to take over your body."

"He was me Tucker. Granted a slightly twisted form of me, but he managed to hold off Red's attempts before he fell."

"Sorry man!"

"It's alright; I just wished it would have worked out differently. For all his faults, he deserved better."

Technus floated up to the teens. "How is Daniel feeling?"

"TECHNUS!" Danny turned into his ghost form and charged at him.

"No wait!" Tucker turned into his werewolf form and tackled into Danny before he could reach Technus. "He is on our side."

Danny looked at the pair nervously. "Did I miss something?"

* * *

Tucker waited until Sam and Jazz woke up before returning to his human form and telling them what had happened at Plasmus's base.

"So, that vile that I was given to me by my ancestor was the blood of a werewolf."

Tucker shrugged at Sam. "Seems so."

Danny turned to Technus. "And you are on our side because of some message from the future."

"Kind of!"

"This is the most farfetched story I have ever heard." He managed a small chuckle. "But considering all that has happened so far, I believe it."

Tucker smiled. "So now we have team."

"Team?"

"Yeah! We can be called The Fantastic Ghostbusters!"

Sam simply sighed and Danny managed a small grin. "We might want to work on the name."

"Guys!" Jazz stood up. "I want to a full explanation of everything, but we need to get back into town. It has been a whole day since that plant thing trapped everyone."

Danny nodded. "We better go check on our parents."

* * *

To everyone surprise, Jack Sparrow not only owned a car; he knew how to drive it. Leaving Technus at the warehouse, Jack drove the kids into town and they found it completely transformed. Large tents had been set up in parking lots, dump trucks full of dead plants moved out of the city while empty ones drove back in. Helicopters flew overhead and countless workers were removing the overgrown vines and other plant life from the buildings. Occasionally they would pass a van with the VladCo symbol on it.

"What is Uncle's Vlad's company doing here?"

Sam watched as a large vine was cut off a building landed in the back of a dump truck. "It looks like they are cleaning up the city. And for the first time, I am alright with a big corporation killing a bunch of plants."

Jack brought the car up to The Fenton Works. A large tent had been set up in the vacant lot down the street. The pirate managed to find a clear parking spot. "I'll wait here."

"Thanks Jack."

The teens piled out of the car and ran down to the tent. Both Danny's and Jazz's spirits were lifted when they heard their Dad's voice. He was yelling at someone. They ran into the tent and pushed past the Doctors and other personal. The Fenton Parents were dressed in their usual jumpsuits and were standing toe to toe with Sam's parents. Apparently, the Mansons had come looking for their daughter and blamed Danny for her disappearance.

"MOM! DAD!" Danny and Jazz ran and tackled their parents with hugs. The family quickly formed a huge group hug.

Sam also hugged her parents, but the hug ended quickly with pats on the head from her father and reassurances from her mother that they would be moving soon.

Tucker was about to leave to head his home, but his dad appeared behind him and gave him a huge hug. His mother was next to him and waited for his dad to let him go before wrapping her arms around him.

Danny and Jazz managed to wiggle out of their dad's grasp before he suffocated them. "What is all this?"

Jack smiled. "As soon as Vlady heard what happened, he and his company wasted no time and helping put the town back into shape." He pointed to a TV that had been set up. "He is even addressing the town."

* * *

Vlad Masters stepped up the podium after being introduced by the mayor. News groups from around the state were waiting to hear what the CEO of VladCo had to say.

"Good morning! On behalf of me and everyone at VladCo, we would like to extend our condolences to the victims and families of the ghost attack that occurred here. For a while, Amity Park has suffered the intrusion and dare I say terrorist actions by these undead monsters. They will not rest until the good citizens of this city are too afraid to even leave their homes. Make no mistake about the message this public assembly is sending to those ghosts. And that message quite simply is that we will not live our lives in fear. The citizens of Amity Park are not afraid. And we will fight. We will fight for our families, we will fight for our rights, and we will fight for our city."

Vlad paused to allow for a round of applause.

"After my parents died, this city has been my adopted home. And I will stand with my home. With the support of the brave citizens of Amity Park, VladCo will rebuild, upgrade, and make this city the safest city in the country. Never again will anyone have to be afraid to walk out their front door. Never again will a ghost be able to run amok in our fair city. And never again will we ever have to live in fear. Thank you!"

Vlad made a quick bow and walked off the stage as the crowd went into an uproar of applause and cheers. When he walked out of view of everyone for a second, he quickly phased through a building wall and turned into Plasmus. Red bowed his head as he walked past and moved to walk besides him.

"A fine speech, my lord, but I fail to see why you needed to do it."

"The second phase of the plan requires that this city not be empty. Those fools out there will now accept whatever I do to this city as what is best for them. I no longer need to be so secret about my construction efforts."

"Wise as always."

Plasmus chuckled. "Are we ready?"

"Everything is prepped and ready for us to move out tomorrow morning. It is just a good thing that Technus made a suitable power source for the train before he betrayed you. Are you sure you don't want me and Spectra to go and collect him?"

"Only you and I know the plan. Let him and the boy think they have escaped me for now. When we return, I will deal with him personally."

"As you wish."

* * *

"That is our Vlady for you." Jack patted his son and daughter on their shoulders. "We'll have this town back to normal and better than ever."

"You're all a bunch of nutcases." Pamela Manson started to pull Sam towards the exit. "If you want to stay and be terrified by a ghost that is your choice. But I won't let my family live here one more day."

"Quite right dear!" Jeremy Manson pulled out his pipe from his jacket. "We'll head back to New York where we can be away from these ghosts and closer to more suitable people."

Sam started to protest, but Maddie Fenton quickly closed the gap between the Fentons and Mansons. "What do you mean by more suitable people? I can understand be frightened by ghosts, but your no better than anyone else."

"The only reason we even moved out to this two bit city was because our daughter insisted." Sam's father lit his pipe. "I see now that it was a grave mistake." He coughed a bit. "No pun intended."

"Two bit city?" Jack quickly joined his wife and the argument was renewed. Everyone not related to the ones in the argument did their best to ignore it.

"That is enough!" Riding a power scooter, Sam's Grandmother rolled into the tent. "We aren't going anywhere. Sam may have had the idea to move here, but I wanted to get away from that stuffed shirt crowd just as much as she did."

"But mother!"

"But nothing." Grandma Manson gave Sam a quick wink. "We are staying here. My husband, bless his soul, would never run away and neither shall I. If you two want to move, that is fine; Sam and I will stay here." Both of Sam's parents were at a loss for words. "As for you two." She turned towards the Fentons. "I'm sorry for how my daughter and her husband have acted. Anyone who has raised such a fine lad, are good people in my book."

Maddie smiled and shook her hand. "Thank you!"

"Now, it will be awhile before things settle down here, so how about I take the kids to our cabin for about a week or so. Some fresh air would do them some good."

"That would be a wonderful idea. What do you think, honey?"

Jack nodded. "I completely agree. We will be very busy for the next several days."

Sam's parents started to speak, but a glare from the elder Manson closed their mouths quickly. Tucker asked his parents and they were alright with him going. After a round of goodbyes, Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Jazz left the tent with Grandma Manson.

"You're the best!" Sam hugged her grandma. "How did you know to come here?"

"And old friend asked me too."

As they turned a corner, they ran into Jack Sparrow. He bent down and gently kissed the hand of Grandma Manson. "Thank you, love."

She blushed slightly. "Oh, I could never say no to you Jack."

The jaws on all the teens dropped. Danny was the first to get it closed enough to talk. "You two know each other."

Grandma Manson laughed. "I met Jack Sparrow long ago before I met my dear Samuel. But that is not a story for such young ears to hear." She revved her scooter. "Well, I'll leave you young people to you business. I'm heading for Vegas for the week." Everyone waved as she drove off.

Danny turned to Jack. "How did you know to arrange all that?"

"Trade secret, mate." He smirked. "Plus you have an appointment to keep with Frostbite. The Pearl will be ready to go by morning."

"The Pearl?"

"Yep! It can sail through The Ghost Zone just as well as the ocean. Get you there in half the time."

Tucker raised his hand. "I though you couldn't help us directly."

"Transporting Undergrowth's seed is a priority mission. Even the Observants can't argue with that."

Danny smiled. "And while we are doing that, I can get the answers I need from Frostbite."

Sam grabbed Danny's arm. "Before we go, I need your help with something."

Danny could tell it was serious by the look on her face. "Right."

* * *

The sun was setting as Sam and Danny walked up to the front door of Zack's house. Before she could knock, the door was opened by Amber. "Sam? What are you doing here?"

"I though you moved back in with your father."

Amber shrugged. "Zack is injured and needs my help." She invited them in. "Would you do any less for your boyfriend?"

"I guess not. Where is Zack?"

"Sleeping."

"Good! We need to talk with Ember."

"Who?"

Sam sighed. "Ember, I know you can hear me. Come out?"

"Sam, I think you need…" Amber stumbled and a glowing ring appeared and transformed her into Ember.

Ember smirked. "I figured you two would show up sooner or later. Zack!"

A yawn issued from a hallway and Zack walked in supported by his cane. "What?" He glanced at Danny and Sam. "Oh!" He transformed into Burn and the cane dropped to the floor. "What are you doing here?"

"They're here to set the ground rules." Ember sat down on the couch.

"Ground rules?"

"Yes!" Ember patted the seat cushion next to her, but Sam declined. "I suggest we keep this professional. I won't bother your real life and you stay away from mine."

"What do you mean by that?" Danny's eyes never left Burn. He was ready to transform at a moment's notice.

"If you try to tell Amber about me, I will send Burn to your houses and have him torch them to the ground." Burn's hands began to smoke slightly to add a visual to her threat. "I will respect your human lives and not bother them. We'll keep everything ghost verses ghost."

"You can't be serious."

Ember frowned and stood up. "I am very serious. Now get lost."

Danny looked at Sam who had a look of defeat on her face. "This isn't over."

"It is for now."


End file.
